


Intro to Shakespeare

by duchessofthemoonbase



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fluff, Shakespeare, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-06 14:08:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17346620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duchessofthemoonbase/pseuds/duchessofthemoonbase
Summary: The last thing Rey wants during her senior year of college is to take a Shakespeare class--especially considering the fact that forty percent of her final grade involves performing scenes from Romeo and Juliet with her classmates.But that was before she knew she would be reading with Poe Dameron.





	1. January 8, 2019

**Author's Note:**

> "The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand,  
> And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand."  
> -Romeo and Juliet I.V.57-58.

Rey walked sheepishly into her Intro to Shakespeare class after lunch as she picked at her ragged fingernails—it was a nervous habit she’d had since childhood. Rey was an engineering major in her senior year, and found out earlier from her advisor that she had neglected to take the humanities credit she needed. Political science, she could have done. Philosophy, or history? Sure. Even a more modern literature course would have been preferable. But _this_? Rey felt her stomach flip just picking up the syllabus.

She wandered to the back row of the small lecture hall to take a seat. It looked like a fairly small group—maybe forty students, tops. Rey looked at the clock in the corner and stared at it in defeat…she had a feeling she would be watching it a lot this semester. The class ran from one p.m. to two-thirty p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and that was far too much time to spend each week reading four-hundred-year-old plays.

Rey slipped her phone back into her pocket as she saw the professor walk in. She was incredibly beautiful, with dark brown skin and a smile that lit up the room instantly. She had a huge pair of round glasses perched on her nose, and wore an artsy, geometric-patterned dress that made Rey think that she must spend her weekends going to plays and exclusive art galleries.

“I’m Professor Maz Kanata,” she said, sitting down casually, yet elegantly, on top of her desk. “But you can call me Maz. This is Intro to Shakespeare. I suppose you’re all in the correct place?”

Everyone nodded as Professor Kanata began to pace around the room, excitement and energy already radiating out of her.

“William Shakespeare,” she said, twirling around in a circle. “Now, the most common misconception my students have about the Bard when they walk into this classroom is this: that he is dead. Empty and gone, and nothing but dust and bones. Those who simply read him will tell you this. Perhaps you read him in high school and would agree. But those of us that _know_ him, have _lived_ him, know that he is a force that cannot be extinguished from this world. A force that I hope to awaken within each and every one of you.”

A few snickers echoed over from the other side of the room. Rey had had professors give her speeches like this before about their passions, and they were usually worthy of quite a few eye-rolls. But something about Maz Kanata was drawing her in.

“This is a big school,” Professor Kanata said. “And I’m sure most of you are strangers. But you won’t be when we’re finished. The people you meet Shakespeare with for the first time have a way of staying with you.”

At this, Rey did roll her eyes. She never understood why all of her professors seemed to expect their students to somehow magically bond when all they did was sit down and listen to the same lecture and take the same exams.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Kanata said, smirking. “But this class is going to be far from your average college lecture. Shakespeare wrote plays to be performed, not to be read by students in desks. Could you imagine studying great film, for example, by only reading the scripts quietly to yourselves? Of course not. And that’s why your final project, which is forty percent of your grade, is going to be so exciting.”

 _Oh god, please._ Rey thought. _Anything but what I’m thinking this might be. A PowerPoint, a twenty-page paper, a group project, a_ _twenty-thousand page paper, please, anything but—_

“Together, with a group of your classmates, you will be putting on your own interpretation of a scene from _Romeo and Juliet_ to perform in front of the class.”

 _No no no no no no_. Rey thought, panicking. _Can I still drop this class? She didn’t think so. Should she just drop out of college altogether? She was nearly considering it at this point._

Rey sunk lower into her seat as Professor Kanata went over the rest of the syllabus. She was zoning out and staring blankly at the wall. Rey tried to imagine herself standing at the front of the room acting out a scene, the old-fashioned language getting caught on her tongue, and she froze in terror. Rey was an engineer, and her poetry was different—she loved the flow and wordplay of gears and machinery, the satisfaction of a neatly solved problem. Anything, anything but this.

“So please, read and annotate the article and be prepared for us to discuss and debate it on Thursday,” Professor Kanata said, finishing up, and Rey sighed with relief when she realized that somehow an hour and a half had passed. Time flies when you’re caught up in your own dread, she supposed.

Rey stood up with a sigh of relief as she made her way out of the room, her legs still numb from sitting down for so long. The stress of the day had exhausted her, and she was ready to go back to her dorm and take a long nap until dinner. She turned to make her way down the staircase, and—

Rey felt a quick jump in her stomach as she realized her foot had missed the top step, and gasped as she felt herself fall forward and begin to tumble down the stairs. She thought she was headed for a broken arm, or at least a concussion, before she realized that a man had caught her in his arms just before she hit the ground.

“Woah, woah, I got you,” he said, and Rey stumbled, froze, and looked up into the deepest pair of brown eyes she had ever seen.

“Oh my god,” Rey said, catching her breath as the man gently helped her to regain her balance. “Thanks. I um—”

“First day of the semester’s always hard,” he said, and smiled at her shyly. _God, that smile._ “I’m a little out of it myself.” He bit his lip and smiled at her. “Weren’t you just in my class? Shakespeare with Kanata?”

“Yeah,” Rey said, feeling heat rush to her cheeks. She had been so nervous she hadn’t bothered to notice anyone else. “I’m Rey,” she said, reaching out her hand.

“Poe,” he said. “Poe Dameron.” He took Rey’s hand in that rare, perfect handshake—not too aggressive, not too wimpy—just a warm anticipation of future meetings to come.

“Well, thanks for coming to my rescue,” Rey said.

“Of course,” Poe said, and they continued to make their way down the staircase. “So, is Shakespeare your thing, or?”

Rey chuckled. “God, no. Last minute graduation requirement.”

“Same,” Poe said. “I’m a senior too. And that final project? I nearly ran straight out of the room.”

“I’m glad it’s not just me who thought that syllabus was just a brochure of different torture methods” Rey said.

“Definitely not,” Poe said, holding the door open for Rey as she walked out of the building into the cold January air. “But hey, at least now we can be torture buddies.”

“Torture buddies?” Rey laughed.

Poe shook his head and laughed, looking bashful. “I _mean_ ,” he said. “Don’t feel like you’re the only person in class who’s not an English or Theatre major getting ready to have the time of their life.”

“I guess that is good to know,” Rey said, and met Poe in a soft smile. He was so nice, and so _cute,_ and that already terrified her. “And now I know I can freely fall down the stairs while you’re around without fear of injury.”

“I wouldn’t encourage it,” Poe joked, beginning to lead her down the walk.

“Actually, I’m, um, I’m this way, but it was nice to meet you Poe!” Rey stuttered, giving him a quick wave.

“You too,” Poe said, giving her a lingering smile, and they went their separate ways.

Ten seconds after Rey started walking towards her dorm, she turned around to peek at Poe walking the opposite direction, only to catch him turning around to peek at her at the exact same time. Poe burst into a flirtatious grin.

_Shit._

Rey quickly turned her head back around and kept walking as she felt blood rush to her face.

She turned the name over and over in her head as she walked up the stairs to her dorm. Poe Dameron. Poe Dameron. _Poe Dameron_. He certainly was charming. Maybe she wouldn’t try to find a way to drop Shakespeare after all. Maybe she would at least give it a week.

When Rey got back to her dorm, she slipped on her favorite pair of sweatpants and crashed into bed, exhausted and already feeling sleep starting to carry her away.

It was only right before she drifted off that she realized she had been smiling to herself.


	2. January 10, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "This precious book of love, this unbound lover,  
> To beautify him only lacks a cover."  
> -Romeo and Juliet I.III.88-90.

Rey walked into the Humanities building with a new stride in her step. She had been dreading Shakespeare before, but her unexpected introduction to Poe Dameron had alleviated her dread a little bit. There was still a lot about the class itself to worry about, but now there was at least something to look forward to: a very hot guy who, if Rey wasn’t mistaken, had seemed genuinely interested in her, even if it was just platonically, and that was nice.

Rey hadn’t had a serious boyfriend since high school. In college, she had been on a few dates and hooked up with a couple of people, but certainly nothing serious enough to make an impression.

But Poe…he was promising.

Rey walked into the classroom and sat in the middle of the room this time, as opposed to the back. A minute later, Poe walked in, smiling at her the second he met her eyes. He was more dressed up today than he was on Tuesday—he wore a blue sweater over a button-down with dark jeans, and he looked very handsome. She wondered if he had done it deliberately.

“Hey,” Poe said, taking a seat in the desk in front of her. “Recovered from your fall yet?”

Rey grinned. “I think so.”

“I’m glad,” Poe said. “Now we’ve just gotta survive this.” He raised an eyebrow sardonically. “Syllabus day is never the real deal.”

As Poe was sifting through his backpack for his pen, a short Asian girl in a blue jumpsuit sat down next to Poe.

“Poe, you know you still owe me like twenty bucks,” the girl said.

“Yeah, yeah, Rose, I’ll get it to you,” Poe said, leaning back in his chair. He turned around. “Rey, this is Rose Tico, one of my best friends from high school. Rose, this is Rey.”

“Hey!” Rose said. She was adorable and friendly, and something about her made Rey trust her immediately. “What do you think of the class so far?”

“I’m not sure,” Rey said. “I like Kanata, but the Shakespeare stuff…I’m not sure yet.”

“You will be soon,” Rose said. “Maz Kanata is easily the best teacher in the English department. She’s a genius. If she doesn’t make you love Shakespeare, no one will.”

“Well she can’t get to me,” Poe said, grinning.

“Don’t be so cocky, Dameron,” Rose said, turning to Rey. “He’s a big softie underneath all that attitude.”

Rey laughed. “Really?”

Poe shook his head. “Rose is just pissed I haven’t paid her back for my emergency grocery run last month.”

“That ‘emergency grocery run’ was for twenty dollars’ worth of tater tots, so you’re damn right I am!” Rose laughed.

Rey liked their friendship—and it was definitely platonic, as far as she could tell. The two of them balanced each other out…Rose brought out the softer side of Poe, and Poe taught Rose to show the world her natural confidence.

The door clicked open and Professor Kanata arrived, dressed in emerald high-waisted pants, a purple blouse, and chandelier earrings. “Good afternoon, everyone,” she said, grinning. “Are we ready to get started?” 

 _No,_ Rey thought. She should consider herself lucky she ended up with one of the best professors at the university, but suddenly she found herself wishing for a bad one. An old, tenured professor who hated his job and played videos for them each day.

“Now,” Professor Kanata said. “Your final project isn’t due for a while, but we’re going to get into our groups of four today. Once you find your group, sit together and decide what your interpretation will be. I assume you’re all familiar with the main plot points of _Romeo and Juliet,_ so consider what settings would be most conducive to bringing the play’s themes to life.” Her eyes sparkled as she ran through possibilities. “You could consider the French Revolution, or the Ming dynasty, or the wild west. Anything you set your mind to! The only rule is to be creative. Now find your groups!”

Rey’s stomach turned. She watched as Rose and Poe turned to each other, and then turned back at her. “Group?” Rose asked, and Rey and Poe nodded.

 _Ohmygod,_ Rey thought. _I’m going to have to act with Poe._

“We still need one more person,” Poe said, looking around the room.

“Lemme check with Finn and see if he has a group yet,” Rose said to Poe, and then she darted to the other side of the room. “Finn!” she called out.

“Rose has had a crush on Finn for _years_ ,” Poe explained.

“Ah,” Rey said, and smiled. Rey knew of Finn, he had been in a couple of her classes. She had always thought of him as a nice, intelligent kid, and a bit shy as well.

Rose and Finn walked over, and Rose’s triumphant grin didn’t escape Rey’s notice. She wondered if this was just a little _too_ much romantic intrigue for one group. They moved their desks together in a square as Rose pulled out her notebook and took charge.

“Okay guys,” Rose said. “Initial brainstorming. Thoughts?”

“Something unique,” Poe said. “We should do something that stands out from the rest of the performances. Finn?”

“I just need an A,” Finn said. “But I’m open to whatever.”

“He’s up for valedictorian,” Rose bragged with pride, and Finn looked down at his feet bashfully. “What about like…something political? Like two politicians from opposite parties? It would be very topical.”

“Maybe a bit too topical,” Finn said. “What about something historical? Like ancient Rome?”

“Everyone’s doing a historical,” Poe said. “We need something different.”

“Something in New York? Like with old-timey gangsters?”

“Too _West Side Story._ ” Poe bit his lip and looked over at Rey. “Do you have any ideas?”

“Oh,” Rey said, and tried to rack her brain for something, anything. “Well, if you want something different, why don’t we leave Earth? Do something a little sci-fi.”

“I like it,” Finn said. “Let’s do that.”

“And even better,” Rose said. “Katana will love it. She runs the Trekkie club. That’s an instant A.”

“Well, well,” Poe said, smiling at Rey. “Looks like we have our winning idea.” He winked, and Rey blushed.

“Stop flirting,” Rose joked, and smiled at Rey as if to say _he likes you, you know. Go for it._

“What kind of sci-fi?” Finn interrupted. “We need something that lends itself to Shakespeare.” 

“A space opera,” Rey said, her face aglow.

“A what?” said Rose.

“You know, adventure, dashing heroes, romance and rebellion among the stars. That sort of thing.”

“I like the way you think,” Poe said.

“You just want to be the dashing hero,” Rose said.

“Well, I’d be good at it,” Poe said, and his smug, yet sweet grin made Rey’s heart race.

_Damn, he really would be, wouldn’t he?_


	3. January 15, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The true poem rests between the words."  
>  ― Vanna Bonta

Rey had started the semester with a plan to focus on the following: her infamously difficult 400-level engineering classes, boosting her GPA before graduation, and making enough tips at her waitressing job so she could afford fencing lessons over the summer. The Shakespeare class was to be dealt with as quickly and painlessly as possible, and she had intended to think about it only when absolutely necessary.

It had been the only thing she had thought about.

Stupid, blasted Poe Dameron had been invading her thoughts for days now. Rey found herself smiling at the thought of his flirtations as she took notes in class or would start running his words through her mind over and over, parsing them for meaning. On Sunday, she’d nearly had a heart attack when she thought she’d seen him walking outside her dorm—only to see the head of dark curls turn around to reveal a woman in her sixties.

But no, it wasn’t a crush. Absolutely not. Rey was above crushes. She had better things to focus on right now. Poe just happened to be a very handsome guy, and it wasn’t her fault if she found certain things about him aesthetically pleasing. She wasn’t _dwelling_ on it or anything.

Rey took a deep breath and arranged her features into a poker face as she braced for the potential impact of walking through the door. There was no telling whether his stupid, knee-weakening smile would be right on the other side, so she couldn’t risk letting her guard down.

It wasn’t. Rey exhaled with relief, but her nerves quickened again at the sight of Poe sitting in his usual spot in the back, looking at something Rose was showing him on her phone.

“Hey Rey,” Rose said, in a way that seemed like it was more to alert Poe to her presence than anything else.

“Hey guys,” Rey said, sliding into her chair. Finn was now seated to the left of her, so their Shakespeare group was arranged in a neat square.

“What did you do this weekend?” Poe asked, and Rey immediately blushed. She had found that there were two kinds of people in the world: people who lived to do stuff on weekends, and people who lived to _not_ do stuff on weekends, and when these priorities clashed, it could make small talk awkward. It was obvious that Poe was the former and she was the latter.

“I, um, napped a lot, actually,” Rey said. “It’s been a busy first week.”

“Nice,” Poe said, and she was relieved that he didn’t seem to think that was in any way lame.

“And you?”

“Practiced guitar a lot. I’ve been working on some new stuff.”

“Oh cool. I didn’t know you played.”

Rose took this as her cue and leaned in to join the conversation. “Poe is really talented. He writes all his own songs, too.”

“Very impressive,” Rey smiled. _Of course he does_ , she thought. _The bastard._

“You need to see him play at the coffeehouse sometime,” Rose said, raising her eyebrows. At this point, Rey wouldn’t be surprised if she literally just smushed their faces together.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Professor Kanata said, walking through the door and halting the conversation. “I trust you all had a splendid weekend.” She looked particularly excited today, which was already making Rey nervous.

“I have a special treat for you all today,” Professor Kanata said. “Today we’re going to meet Shakespeare at the very beginning of his career, with one of his first published works of poetry— _Venus and Adonis_.” She raised up a stack of stapled packets containing the poem and began to pass them around the room. “Published in 1593, this tale of unrequited love contains some of the Bard’s finest verse…” Kanata’s eyes glittered mischievously. “…and some of his most sexually charged, as well.”

Rey felt herself sink into her seat. _Shit._

“ _Venus and Adonis_ is a classic story of unrequited love that dates back to Ovid,” Professor Kanata said. “Now, I could talk to you about it all day, but I think it’s better if I let you explore the words for yourselves. I want you to get into your project groups and read through the poem out loud together. I expect you to not only unfurl the basic plot, but to really get familiar with the feeling and the cadence of the poetry.” Kanata’s eyes twinkled. “And if you like, it’s a fine chance to practice your acting skills for the final!”

Rey glanced at the clock. Only ten minutes had passed since she first walked into the room. She had a full eighty minutes left that would be spent reading ‘sexually charged’ poetry with Poe Dameron. She wasn’t sure if she was up to this.

Rey took a deep breath as her group turned their desks towards each other and got out their pens. She chided herself for being so silly. Besides, ‘sexually-charged’ in the 1590s probably just meant that someone showed an ankle or something. It would be fine.

“Should we take turns reading?” Finn asked.

“Okay,” Rose said. “Hey, Poe, you’re on like page ten, slow down.”

“I’m just skimming it first.”

“You mean looking for the dirty bits.”

“I am not! Besides, it’s Shakespeare, it’s old, there are no dirty bits. That would be ridiculous.”

Finn let out something that was halfway between a giggle and a snort and looked down at his paper.

“Let’s get started,” Rose said, and began to read.

Even Rey had to admit, something about hearing the rhyme and rhythm of the words was already comforting her. Rose stopped after a few stanzas and turned to Poe, indicating that it was his turn.

“A summer’s day will seem an hour but short, being—”

“No, no, Mr. Dameron!” Professor Kanata said as she suddenly appeared around their group of desks. “No monotone in my classroom. You need to take your time, really _feel_ the words and make them come alive, yes?”

“Alright,” Poe said as the Professor waltzed over to the next group. However, she was still in earshot, so Poe had to put in _some_ discernable effort. He coughed self-consciously, and then began to read, projecting his voice and annunciating the syllables in a way that made the words feel as if they were hitting Rey straight in the chest.

“With leaden appetite, unapt to toy;  
She red and hot as coals of glowing fire,  
He red for shame, but frosty in desire.”

Poe let the words roll off his tongue slowly and deliberately, emphasizing the emotional impact of the rhymes at the end as if he were a part of the story himself. _Adonis,_ Rey thought. _He could be. But I’m no Venus._

“Backward she push'd him, as she would be thrust,  
And govern'd him in strength, though not in lust.”

_Thrust? Lust? Are you kidding me?_ Rey thought, feeling desire pooling in her stomach. She couldn’t take it anymore, having him sitting there inches away from her as he read those words…well, like _that._

“So soon was she along as he was down,  
Each leaning on their elbows and their hips:  
Now doth she stroke his cheek, now doth he frown,  
And 'gins to chide, but soon she stops his lips;  
And kissing speaks, with lustful language broken,  
'If thou wilt chide, thy lips shall never open.'”

Rey shifted in her seat and twirled her pen between her fingers. _There is no way I can sit here for seventy more minutes listening to him talk about thrusting and lusting and hips and kissing and—_

“I’m going to go to the bathroom,” Rey said, suddenly standing up. “I’ll be right back.”

Rey rushed across the hallway and pushed open the door to the bathroom, sighing at the sweet relief of being alone. She stood in front of the sinks, gripping the counter and staring at herself in the mirror. She looked as flushed as if she had just run here from across campus. She leaned down to splash water on her face.

“Okay,” Rey said quietly as she stared herself down in the mirror. “I admit it. Are you happy?”

 

***

 

Rey took another minute to collect herself and went back across the hall, where thankfully, Finn had taken over reading the poem.

“Whose swelling dugs do ache, hasting to—”

“What’s a dug?” Poe asked.

“A boob,” said Finn.

“How the hell do you know that?”

“It’s in the footnotes, man.”

Rey shyly slipped back into her chair and zoned out listening to Finn read and the rest of her group pick apart the words.

“This line….” Poe said. “’Claps her pale cheek, till clapping makes it red’…is that about spanking? That’s kind of kinky.”

“No,” Rose said, rolling her eyes. “He’s trying to wake her up, you moron.”

“By spanking her?”

Rose burst out laughing, and Rey tried to come up with something, anything to change the subject away from sex.

“Why don’t we talk about the hunting motif in the latter part of the poem? The imagery was very powerful there,” Rey said.

“Excellent!” Professor Kanata said, overhearing and circling back to their group again. “Good observation Rey. And do you know why Shakespeare makes the hunting scenes so vivid?”

Rey shrugged.

“You see, it all goes back to Venus’s lust for Adonis. The hunt is a metaphor for the more _carnal_ feelings of Venus that Shakespeare could not explicitly…”

Rey sunk further into her chair. _Way to go changing the subject._

 

***

 

Before Rey knew it, class was over, and she was able to return to her dorm and get some peace after what could arguably be called the ninety most stressful minutes of her life.

She had decided, after today’s ordeal, that she must do everything in her power to vanquish and destroy her crush on Poe Dameron, once and for all. Rey was independent and she was in control—she didn’t like the sense that someone could ever make her feel otherwise.

Her group had only managed to get through about three-quarters of the poem in class, so Kanata had assigned them the rest to read and annotate for homework. Rey was sitting at her desk with an evening cup of coffee, getting a couple of hours of work done before bed—and she was already exhausted.

“Rey!” shouted Kaydel Connix, her roommate, from her bed on the other side of the tiny room. She was watching Netflix on her laptop and wearing her hair in two high buns. “I told you not to do that!”

“Do what?”

“Drink coffee after ten p.m.! I thought you said it gave you really vivid dreams, or something like that.”

“Eh, whatever,” Rey said. “I just want to stay awake to get this reading done.”

“If you say so,” Connix said in a singsong voice, clicking the next episode.

Rey turned back to the poem and kept reading as she stifled a yawn. She rested her head on her arms and stared down at the poem until the words looked blurry.

 

***

 

_“Rey…you’re here.”_

_Rey walked into the Shakespeare classroom to find it empty. There was no one there but Poe, his eyes dark as they fixed on her._

_“It’s the middle of the night,” Rey said. “Why did you ask to meet me here?”_

_Poe just smirked. “Come on sweetheart,” he whispered, as he slowly cornered her against the wall. “I saw how flustered you were earlier today.”_

_“Flustered?”_

_Poe’s eyes locked onto her as he brushed his fingers softly over one of her hands. “When I was reading…” He pressed a single, open-mouthed kiss to the inside of her neck. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?” he whispered._

_Rey let out a sigh. “Not really, I—”_

_“I was thinking of you with every word I read, you know,” Poe said, putting his hand on her waist and pulling her flush against him. “Pity we didn’t have enough time to finish it.”_

_“Finish it now,” Rey said with heavy breath. “Poe, please.”_

_Poe gave her a devious grin. “If you insist, Venus.” Rey sighed as Poe kissed his way down her neck. “Heavy heart's lead,” he began, his voice thick with lust. “Melt at mine eyes' red fire…” Rey tangled her hands in his hair and wrapped her legs around his waist, moaning as Poe maneuvered them to a nearby table._

_Poe buried his lips in her neck. “So shall I die by drops of…”_

 

***

 

Rey woke up with a start and looked at the clock. It was 3 a.m., and the textbook she had fallen asleep on had made a large indent on her cheek.

She looked down at the poem still sitting on her desk and shivered when she saw where she had stopped reading.

_“So shall I die by drops of hot desire…”_


	4. January 17, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment."  
>  -Pride and Prejudice

Rey woke up at the crack of dawn to go for a run. At times like these, when it felt like there were no good answers to any of her problems, she would put on her sneakers and just go. The January cold was biting at nine a.m., but Rey didn’t have a choice. What she needed was the comforting rhythm of her feet pounding down against the sidewalk, one after the other, until she achieved the mental clarity she so desperately needed.

Today, she was trying to figure out what the hell she was going to do about Poe. I mean, technically, she didn’t have to do anything just yet—but the tension between them had been building at an exponential pace, and eventually she feared it would reach a breaking point.

Rey channeled her strength as she began to jog up the hill near the dining hall. One thing she had figured out earlier this week was that she could no longer deny that she was attracted to him—and desperately so. The dream she had on Tuesday night still showed up in teasing flashes in her mind sometimes, and that was one of the reasons she was so nervous about today. It would be the first time she’d see Poe after she had…

Rey remembered the sight of Poe kissing his way down her neck and slowed to a light jog, making her way over to a nearby park bench. She rested her head in her hands and caught her breath.

_I hate Thursdays_ , Rey thought.

The Poe from her dream appeared again, cornering her against the wall with a smirk. _Liar_ , he said.

 

***

 

Rey had gone home to shower and change, gotten breakfast, and gone to two classes. She then got pizza and a salad at the dining hall for lunch, which she ate while reading a book. She found she could hardly focus—the words on the page kept blurring in front of her eyes.

And then it was one o’clock.

Rey walked into the Humanities building with her heart pounding, a small smile peeking out of the corner of her mouth. _It’s one o’clock._

When Rey walked in, Poe was already turned towards the door, and he burst into a huge grin the second he saw her. “Hey,” he said.

_Oh god_ , Rey thought. _His smile is always more charming in person than I remember_. “Hi.”

Poe was about to say something, but Professor Kanata walked in only a second later, carrying a huge stack of DVDs. “Good afternoon everyone,” she said. “We have a pretty easy day today. We’ll be watching some clips from various Shakespeare productions and discussing them.”

Rey exhaled in relief. This was an easy day, after all.

Professor Kanata turned out the lights and started setting up the projector, leaving the room mostly dark. Rey’s memory stirred…in her dream, it had been the dark of night, and the room had looked exactly like this. The terrible thing about Poe sitting directly in front of her was that she could never look away from him. With only the glow of the projector light on him, he looked rather similar to the version that had visited her in her fantasy too…and it was already killing her.

“First, we will examine comedy,” Professor Kanata was explaining, and she began playing a clip. “This version of _Much Ado about Nothing_ , performed in 2011, features David Tennant and Catherine Tate as…”

Rey zoned out, suddenly distracted once again. Even when all she was required to do was sit and watch video clips, she was still a wreck. Poe seemed utterly absorbed in the clips and Kanata’s lecture—he was breaking out into cute little grins as Beatrice and Benedick bantered with each other on screen, their insults masking their true affections.

Rey had been resisting the daydreams, but she succumbed and let them in as the video played in the background. _Poe in a tux taking her out to a fancy dinner, soft mornings waking up next to him and having coffee, road trips in the summer…and what if on one of those road trips, a few years on, he circled back around to the place where they had their first date, maybe a waterfall or a museum, and pulled out a ring, and maybe it would involve his guitar, and he would play a song, and—_

“That’s it for today,” Professor Kanata said, and Rey jumped suddenly to attention. Somehow an hour had passed. “I’ve got a department meaning to run off to. Remember your first test on the introductory information and _Venus and Adonis_ is on Tuesday, so be sure to go over your notes!” The professor picked her briefcase off her chair and rushed out of the room.

“What?!?” Rey and Poe said simultaneously.

Finn turned around in shock. “You guys didn’t know about the test? She’s mentioned it at least five times.”

“Distracted, you two?” Rose said, quirking up an eyebrow.

“No, no,” Poe said. “I just…”

Rose smiled. “Good luck.” She followed Finn out of the room, and Rey found herself alone with Poe.

“Hey, so,” Poe said, nervously scratching the back of his head. “Do you maybe want to get together and study? Maybe Tuesday morning before the test?”

Rey froze, her heart racing. “Sure,” she said, quite automatically. “That would be great. We can study at my place.”

“Does ten a.m. work for you? Then we can get lunch and go to class.”

“Yeah!” Rey said. “Sounds great.”

Poe smiled. “I’m looking forward to it,” he said, and turned towards the door.

Rey sat dumbstruck in her chair, watching Poe leave for his next class.

_Do I have a date with Poe Dameron?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is late (and short). I'm going to try my best to stick to my original schedule!


	5. January 22, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Is this the generation of love? Hot blood, hot thoughts, and hot deeds?   
> Why, they are vipers. Is love a generation of vipers?"  
> -Troilus and Cressida III.I.130-32.

Rey walked around her dorm room one last time, checking to make sure that everything was perfect. Her laundry was all put away, her schoolwork was perfectly organized on her desk, and anything that could potentially embarrass her had been hastily stuffed under the bed. She had even walked to the grocery store last night to replenish her supply of snacks—she had bags of chips, strawberries, and even a tiny tray of cheese and crackers that she somehow miraculously squeezed into the mini-fridge.

She looked at her phone. 9:58. Two minutes to go. _Breathe_ , Rey, _breathe_. It’s just studying. It’s casual.

She had dressed in sweats and a tank top (again, _casual_ ) but it was an outfit that was incredibly flattering on her, and she damn well knew it.

Rey heard a knock on her door and jumped. “Coming!” she said, and hurried over.

Rey opened the door to see Poe standing there smiling with two coffees and a bag of donuts. Two girls making their way down the hall watched the scene with interest, but Poe didn’t seem to notice them. He was dressed in dark jeans, sneakers, and a cozy blue and orange patterned sweater.

“Hey!” Rey said, holding the door open. “Make yourself at home.”

Poe walked in and looked around the room. “I like your dorm,” he said, and smiled when he saw the shelf above Rey’s desk, which was full of various ceramic pots and planters. “Especially all the plants.”

“I like to keep a lot of green.”

Rey considered getting her cheese tray out of the fridge, but didn’t want to overshadow Poe’s kindness in bringing his own food—she could always eat it later. She walked over to her desk chair and sat down as she started getting her papers ready. Poe put his backpack on the bed and sat down next to it, leaning against the white brick wall.

 _He’s on my bed_ , Rey thought. _It’s a dorm room, there is no other seating, people sit on the beds all the time, calm down._

“Come here,” Poe said, “I can hardly see you down there.”

Rey got up and followed without thinking, papers in hand, as she sat down across from Poe. He handed her a coffee and opened the box of donuts so she could take her pick.

“Rainbow sprinkles,” Poe said. “A noble choice.”

Rey laughed, but she still couldn’t quite process the scene happening in front of her. She had guests sit on this bed with her all the time—in this tiny dorm, there were no other options. But something about feeling Poe’s weight on the other side of her bed—her very personal space—was already sending tingles up her spine.

“So how much did you absorb from the first four lectures?” Poe asked. “Because I have next to nothing.”

“Same,” Rey admitted. “We’re screwed.”

“Not entirely,” Poe said. “I got Finn’s notes.”

“Ahhh,” Rey said, grinning. “Smart.”

“So, I have a whole study strategy planned out,” Poe said. “We can start with the different play categories, the historical context, the biographical stuff…” He laid out a bunch of papers and index cards, all organized by color, on the bed. “That way we can hopefully cram everything we need to know before one o’clock.”

“Wow,” Rey said, looking down at the papers with amusement. “Do you always take studying this seriously?”

“No,” Poe admitted with a soft smile, and they met eyes for a brief, meaningful second. “I just, um—”

“The play categories,” Rey said.

“Yes. So histories, tragedies, comedies.”

Rey took a bite of her donut and caught the rainbow sprinkles before they fell on her heavy green comforter. “The histories are all the names—you know, your Henry’s and Richard’s and so forth. Now,” Rey said, challenging. “Name three tragedies.”

“ _Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear_. Name three comedies.”

“ _Much Ado About Nothing, All’s Well That Ends Well, As You Like it_.”

“Very good,” Poe said. “See, we got this.” Poe buried his hands adorably inside the sleeves of his sweater. “No offense, Rey, but your room is—”

“Freezing? I know.” She already had goosebumps going up and down her arms. She had put on a sweatshirt a few minutes earlier, but it wasn’t helping. “I’m going to bury myself under here, if you don’t mind.” Rey propped her pillow up against the wall and burrowed deep under her comforter. “Much better.”

“No fair,” Poe said, and Rey rolled her eyes. “Here, you can use it too.”

“Sweet,” Poe said, and slipped under the comforter over on the opposite side of the bed. There was still a considerable bit of distance between them, but there was something intimate about being snuggled under the same blanket.

Rey heard Poe reciting the facts of Shakespeare’s life in the background, but she wasn’t really listening (she should have known studying with Poe was not going to improve her grade on this test). The two of them were so close it was nearly killing her—it was the first time, after all, that they were completely alone. In a split second, one of them could embrace the other, and they’d just fall down on the bed, and it was just _so easy_ and _so close_ and if she had the guts she could just _go for it_ and—.

“After marrying Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare—”

“From _The Princess Diaries_?” Rey asked, her trance broken.

“Hey, if she’s immortal, I’m not gonna be the one to out her.”

Both of their cups of coffee were empty and now sitting with the equally barren box of donuts on Rey’s desk. The coffee had been warm and milky and full of sugar, so it was unfortunately doing more to put them asleep than to wake them up.

“I need a nap break,” Rey said. “Five minutes, I swear.” She stretched out horizontally and wrapped the comforter tighter around her.

“A dangerous game,” Poe said, laughing.

As Rey settled in, one of her feet touched Poe’s thigh, but she found there wasn’t really any other direction to move it. She left it there, and a second later, she felt Poe move over closer, letting her warm her feet on his legs.

 _Oh my god,_ Rey thought. _What now?_ However, she _was_ rather tired, and Poe’s warmth seemed to radiate right through to her heart and her bones and everywhere else, so she let herself rest.

 

***

 

“Rey? It’s been half an hour?”

“What?” Rey murmured. She could still feel her feet resting comfortably on Poe’s legs.

“You napped for half an hour,” Poe said. “We still got time though. We’ve already covered nearly everything.”

Rey grumbled and looked up to see Poe’s hand reaching out to help her sit up, and she took it. “Thanks,” she said, and he pulled her up so they were face to face again. She missed the feeling of his hand around her when he pulled it away—they were so warm and strong and soft…

“All we have left is the historical context stuff, right?” Rey asked. “The Protestant Reformation, blah blah, whatever.”

“Pretty much,” Poe said, and Rey noticed that he was staring at her intensely—their legs were still touching, and he was a mere few inches away. He looked like he was contemplating something serious.

Poe brought one of his hands up to softly tuck a strand of hair behind Rey’s ear, while his other hand took one of hers and drew tiny circles into her palm with his thumb. He smiled nervously, and then cradled the back of her head with his hand, and that was when Rey knew, without a single doubt, exactly what he was going to do.

“They were OUT of tacos!” Connix exclaimed, nearly breaking down the door, and they instinctively jumped a few inches apart. “Oh,” Connix said, looking at Poe with immediate distaste. “Sorry.”

“Again?” Rey said. “They were out of tacos last week too.”

“I go to the dining hall the second it opens for lunch, and yet here I am, tacoless yet again,” Connix collapsed into her desk chair dramatically and opened up an essay she was working on. “What are you doing here, Dameron?” she said accusatorily.

“Rey and I have a Shakespeare test today. We were just going over notes,” he said. If Rey didn’t know any better, she would say he looked scared.

“I’m sure you were,” Connix said, and opened up her bottle of Coke and took a sip. She tapped her foot in a steady rhythm against her desk, as if she were waiting impatiently for something.

“I’m gonna go grab lunch,” Poe said, shifting off of Rey’s bed. “I’ll see you in class today.” He gave her a polite smile and wave as he zipped up his backpack.

“See you, Dameron,” Connix said coldly, and Poe hurried out the door uncomfortably.

Rey got her cheese tray out of the fridge and began to snack on it. “Am I missing something, Connix?”

She looked over at Rey with ice in her eyes. “Look, Rey,” she said, scrolling through her phone. “If you just need to blow off some steam and hook up with someone, Dameron is great. But he’s full of shit.”

Rey shifted uncomfortably. “What do you mean?”

“He’s pulled this act with every other person on campus. The flirting and the charm and the little romantic gestures. Just ask Jessika Pava. Or Snap Wexley. Or Finn. Or _me_.”

 _Finn?_ Rey wondered, surprised. “What happened with you two, Connix?”

She sighed and pretended to be absorbed in her work—Connix always had such a tough façade, and it was always disheartening to see her in any way vulnerable. “We slept together a few times,” she said. “Sophomore year. And of course, Poe being Poe, I fell madly in love with him. But he got bored. He stopped calling.”

“I’m sorry,” Rey said. “I…I didn’t know.”

“Well, now you do,” Connix said. “And it’s fine…it was a long time ago. He’s great in bed, trust me, so if that’s all you’re after, go right ahead. But don’t get involved emotionally. Poe doesn’t do that sort of thing…romance, I mean. Anything nice he does for you is just a way to get you to sleep with him.”

“Oh,” Rey said. “Okay.”

 

***

 

Rey walked into class at one and was relieved to find that the test was far easier than she had anticipated—she breezed through it easily. She and Poe had shared a brief smile, but that was it—it was a test day, after all.

Poe was sitting in front of her writing his essay, and he still looked a bit uncomfortable from the confrontation with Connix. _We almost kissed_ , Rey thought. Was he upset that Connix ruined his trap? That the kiss was interrupted? That she would turn me against him?

Rey looked over at Finn, who was concentrating on a multiple-choice question. _Finn and Poe had been a thing?_ Neither of them had ever acted like anything had gone down between them, or certainly nothing bad, at least.

Was he really such a heartbreaker and a scoundrel? Sure, he could turn on the charm when he wanted to, but that didn’t necessarily mean he took too much advantage of it.

Rey finished her test and walked up to bring her paper to Professor Kanata, who smiled at her warmly and wished her a nice day. Rose was right behind her. Poe and Finn were still inside finishing up.

“What did you think of the test?” Rose asked the second they got out the door.

“Way easier than I thought.”

“Agreed, a breeze,” Rose said, smiling as they turned the corner. “Oh! Rey, I was going to ask, do you want to come to Coffeehouse with us Thursday night?”

“Coffeehouse?”

“Yeah!” she said. “It’s really fun. There’s free coffee, and snacks, and usually Poe plays guitar and I do a stand-up act. Sometimes the poetry students read really weird shit that we make fun of later. But anyways, it’s at eight, and you should totally come.”

“Okay,” Rey said without thinking. It was hard to say no to Rose.

“Great!” she said, waved, and hurried off in the opposite direction.


	6. January 24, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "If music be the food of love, play on."  
> -Twelfth Night I.I.I

Rey walked into class feeling slightly apprehensive. She wasn’t exactly sure where she stood with Poe—or whether she wanted to have any kind of standing with him at all, really. Connix’s comments had been nagging at her, and she figured that Poe suspected it, too. But they had almost kissed that day, there alone on Rey’s bed, and the thought of what would have happened if they hadn’t of been interrupted was dominating her thoughts even more. All she could do now was investigate further.

“Good news,” Professor Kanata said, waltzing into the room in a purple dress. “I’ve begun grading your tests, and so far they are looking very impressive. Well done.”

A series of quiet whoops and cheers bubbled through the classroom, and Rose and Poe gave each other high-fives. Poe looked normal, and not as distressed as he had during the test Tuesday. He was wearing gray sweatpants and a dark green Henley, and had let some stubble grow on his cheeks.

“Today we will begin developing the themes for our scenes from _Romeo and Juliet_ ,” Professor Kanata said. “I want you to meet with your groups and figure out the ways in which your chosen theme will highlight the play’s meaning. And also,” she said, with a sly grin. “I brought snacks.” The professor held up a huge bag of Tupperware containers filled with what looked like empanadas, homemade soft pretzels, and mozzarella sticks. “I’m very nice when the tests come back this perfect,” she said, and this time everyone _really_ cheered. “Now let’s get started!”

Rey’s group started pushing their desks together as Rose went up to the front of the room and brought back enough snacks for all of them. Despite some awkwardness, everyone seemed to be in a good mood and ready to plan.

“Coffeehouse tonight!” Rose said, laying a plate of mozzarella sticks down on the table. “And Rey is coming too!”

“Awesome,” Finn said. “First time?”

Rey nodded. “Are you guys performing anything?”

Rose beamed. “I’m doing a stand-up set—this time, I think I’ll focus on that party from last semester, you know, the one where that girl got drunk and started prank calling all the professors? And Poe, you’re doing your usual guitar set, right?”

Poe smiled shyly and nodded. “Yup.”

“I can’t wait,” Rey said, and she meant it. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Of course,” Finn said, and opened his notebook. “Let’s try to get a little bit of brainstorming done first, at least.”

“Good plan,” Rey said, smiling at him. She had to admit, one of her motivations for going to the Coffeehouse tonight was so that she could investigate what Connix had told her even further—if Finn and Poe had been an item, would Finn be honest with her about it? Rose, at least, probably would, but she was loyal to Poe first and foremost, and Rey had to entertain the possibility that Rose would tell him that she was digging up his past.

“So how are we like…world-building for this?” Finn asked, taking another mozzarella stick. “Where do we even start?”

“I think there should be a princess,” Rose said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “She’s alone in the world and trying to find her place in it. She’s fighting an evil monster…”

“Not a monster,” Rey said. “Monsters are easy. In life, evil is bigger.”

“The government?” Finn said. “Like, a huge space empire that oppresses its citizens.”

“So, Juliet is the princess,” Poe said. “And the Empire is keeping her from Romeo.”

“And who’s Romeo?” Rose asked. “The dashing space hero?”

“Worse than that,” Poe said, smirking. “He’s a scoundrel.”

Rose smiled. “Even better. Two unlikely people, both strong, both stubborn, keeping each other on their toes as they fight a great evil that could tear them apart. I like it.”

“The war could also provide context for the fight scenes, like when Romeo kills Tybalt,” Finn said. “They could fight with fancy space weapons.”

“Oh!” Poe said. “Like…swords made from light!”

Everyone stared at Poe blankly. “This is a college class,” Rose said. “We’ll just tape old beer cans together.” Poe rolled his eyes in mock disappointment.

“So, for scenes,” Finn said. “I’m thinking we do a fight scene, and the balcony one as well—it’s a classic.”

“I already called director,” Rose said. “So we need a Romeo, a Juliet, and a Tybalt.”

A silence fell over the room. “I guess I’m Juliet,” Rey said, and they all turned to Poe and Finn.

“Now’s your chance to be the dashing hero, mate,” Finn said, turning to Poe. “Might as well take it.”

Poe sighed in mock resignation, but Rey didn’t miss the excited smirk that he tried so hard to hide. “Okay. I’ll be Romeo.” He glanced at Rey with smiling eyes, as if to say: _come on,_   _what other way would it be?_

 

***

 

Rey put on her favorite sweater dress—dark green with tiny white daisies near the collar—and made her way into town to meet her friends at the local coffee shop. She walked in to find the place already packed…kids from campus as well as people from town were crowded around tiny tables facing a main stage set up with string lights.

“Rey!” Rose yelled, waving her over, and Rey made her way through the crowd to a table nestled in a side corner where Finn and Rose were poring over a notebook.

“You made it!” Finn said, pulling out a chair. “Rose has the third spot, so we’re just going over her stand-up routine.”

“Shh! I’m memorizing!” Rose snapped, bringing her notebook directly in front of her face.

“Did you want any coffee, or—”

“Finn!” Rose snapped again. “Forget it, I’m going backstage with Poe where it’s quiet.”

“Show business,” Finn joked, laughing.

Rey went up to order a caramel macchiato and sat back down, and realized that she was going to be sitting alone with Finn for quite a while.

“Um, Finn,” Rey said, stirring her coffee in slow circles. “Can I ask you something personal?”

“Uh, sure,” Finn said, more curious than apprehensive. “What’s up?”

“Did you and Poe used to date?”

Finn just laughed, and Rey felt herself relax. “Dating is a pretty strong word for it,” Finn said. “What Poe and I had—and mind you, this was quite a while ago—was purely, um…” Finn stammered a bit. “Sexual. It wasn’t an emotional involvement.”

“Oh,” Rey said. “Sorry, I just…my roommate is Kaydel Connix, and when she saw Poe and I studying together she reacted pretty badly…she told me to run and went through his long list of exes, and you were on it, and I just—”

“Connix?” Finn said. “That makes sense.”

“What do you mean?”

“The list of exes she gave you? It’s probably accurate, but those people were all like me. Poe Dameron doesn’t have girlfriends or boyfriends. He just used to sleep around a lot. And he always made it clear he wasn’t looking for anything serious—otherwise he wouldn’t get involved. Connix was where things got complicated.”

“How?”

“A few years ago…this was before I had anything to do with Poe, even, there was this party. Poe and Connix hit it off. They started sleeping together, and as usual, Poe made it clear from the beginning that it would have to be a no-strings-attached, casual thing. But Connix didn’t want to listen. She fell pretty hard for him, and Poe began to notice and broke it off. She’s hated him ever since.”

“Wow,” Rey said. “I guess that makes sense.”

“But listen,” Finn said, leaning in closer. “In the last year, Poe has changed a lot. As far as I know, he hasn’t hooked up with anybody. His mom, Shara, died a year ago, and he’s grown up a lot since. He kinda just sits alone in his room with his guitar.”

“Oh man,” Rey said. “I…I didn’t know.”

“Shara was an environmental activist—a really awesome person, a bit of a rebel, and Poe really looked up to her…and his parents were more deeply in love than any couple that age I’ve ever seen. I think Poe is trying his best right now to make her proud. He’s trying to find his place.”

“Good for him,” Rey said, and she smiled.

“And Rey,” Finn said. “I’ve known Poe a long time. And the way he looks at you? Well, it’s different from the way he ever looked at me or Connix or anybody else. I swear.”

“You really think so?” Rey asked, blushing, and Finn just grinned.

The college acapella group took the stage, singing a medley of pop songs, followed by a team of magicians who were surprisingly not that terrible. Rey could understand why the coffeehouse was the highlight of the week for her friends—there was a wonderful comfort and feeling of inspiration from being surrounded by the glow of the string lights and the smiles of other creative people.

“Rose is up!” Finn said excitedly, and Rey giggled as they watched Rose get up on stage in a sparkly aqua dress. She already seemed so confident, and Rey found it inspiring.

“Were any of you guys at that Sigma Tau Delta party last weekend?” Rose started. “Yes? No? A few of you? Well even if you were, you were definitely not in the kitchen with me and this sorority girl that was drunk off her ass and had nothing to entertain herself with but the staff page of the college directory.”

Rey laughed and sipped at her coffee, but she couldn’t help but wonder where Poe was. _He’s backstage, right? Is he performing? Does he sing too? Does he know I’m here? Did Rose tell him?_

“So Professor Jabba gave her a D on her exam last semester, right? She calls him on the phone, and calls him fat. Not only that, she accused him of being a _drug kingpin._ Like can you imagine?”

The room erupted in laughter, and howled through the rest of Rose’s set. The room burst into applause, and then Rose gave a triumphant bow and walked offstage towards their table as a harmonica player took over.

“Rose!” Rey said. “You were amazing up there! I had no idea you were so funny!”

“Brilliant, love,” Finn said, hugging her, and Rose beamed. “Thanks guys.” She sat down and sipped at the remainder of her tea. “I think Poe’s on after the harmonica guy. Wait until you see, Rey, he’s great.” Rose looked at her now-empty cup and frowned. “I’m getting more tea. I’ll be back.”

Finn looked a little bummed. “What’s wrong?” Rey asked.

“Everyone’s in love with Poe,” Finn said, rolling his eyes and sinking into his chair.

Rey laughed incredulously. “Who? Rose?”

“Yeah,” Finn said. “She never shuts up about him.”

Rey just laughed more. “Really? Because Poe told me she’s had a thing for you for _years._ ”

“I don’t believe you,” Finn said.

“She only talks him up around _me,”_ Rey explained. “Because she’s trying to set us up. She’s into _you,_ Finn, trust me.”

“You really think so?” Finn said.

Rey grinned. “You should absolutely go for it.”

“Speaking of,” Finn teased, and Rey turned around to see Poe walk onto stage.

Rey nearly gasped when she saw Poe—he was dressed in a dark green sweater and khakis, and his hair was charmingly disheveled. He had a different kind of glow about him, standing up on the stage—there was something deeper, and perhaps more spiritual about him, Rey thought.

“Hi everyone,” Poe said, a little shy but still obviously charmed by the smiles from the audience. “Hope you’re all having a lovely evening,” at this, he tried to turn towards their table as casually as possible, and lit up the second his eyes landed on Rey. “This one is called Fare Thee Well.”

Poe began strumming the guitar strings as if they were an extension of himself and began to play. During the other acts, people had talked and refilled drinks and scrolled through their phones, but for Poe, there was nothing but awed silence.

_If I had wings like Noah's dove_

_I'd fly the river to the one I love_

_Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well_

Poe looked up briefly to smile in their direction, and as his eyes met Rey’s he accidentally burst into a lovestruck grin, and she felt herself melt into her chair with pure delight. His voice was incredible, and she never wanted to stop listening to it. She took another sip of coffee and relaxed further into the sound of his voice and the guitar, into her new friends and the glow of the room under the warmth of the string lights. _What was this?_

_Home,_ Rey realized. _For the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m home._


	7. January 29, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “For the apparel oft proclaims the man”  
> -Hamlet I.III.73

Professor Kanata had sent out an email that weekend instructing her students to meet in the backstage area of the small campus theater for class—so on that chilly Tuesday after a quick lunch, that’s where Rey headed.

Rey followed a girl she recognized from class into a wooden door on the side of the building, which led to the large backstage area further back. It was a mostly empty space, filled with old props and racks of costumes and fabric. It had a smell that was simultaneously both musty and comforting.

“Hey,” Poe said, walking through the door with his backpack on one shoulder. Rey smiled in soft delight as he approached her.

“Hi,” she said, shifting her weight between her feet. “I didn’t get the chance to tell you after coffeehouse last week but…you were really great up there.”

“Really?” Poe said, suddenly looking a little shy. “Thanks.”

“I mean it,” Rey said, feeling her face heat up a little. “People were in complete awe of you. I had no idea you were so talented.”

Poe smiled bashfully as Finn and Rose came up to join them.

“Woo! No lecture today!” Rose said, throwing her bag down. “Why are we meeting in here again?”

“Excellent question!” Professor Kanata said, suddenly rushing into the room with her arms full of fabric. “You didn’t think this class would be all studying and papers; did you?”

Rey squirmed nervously. Rose was just grinning.

“We’re doing costumes today!” Professor Kanata said. “The theater department has been kind enough to let us use some of their leftover scraps to design costumes of our own.” She started sifting through the racks of clothing, pulling pieces out, examining them, putting them back. “My idea is that today you design and plan out how you’re going to make the costumes…some of them could be as simple as pre-made clothes that you slip on, or, for brownie points, you can get a little crafty. The idea is to have your plan down today, so you can work on any sewing, gluing, bedazzling, etc. as you’re practicing your lines in the coming weeks. Got it?”

Everyone nodded, overwhelmed by the piles of cloth and craft supplies in front of them.

“Good! Now get designing!”

Rey’s group split up initially, looking through the racks to find ideas. The plan was that each of them should look for their own character (Rose, as director, was keeping an eye out for all three of them) and that they would share ideas and configure their costumes afterward so they all would look as if they plausibly belonged in the same fictional universe.

“Here’s what I’m thinking,” Finn said, holding up a plain blue button down and showing it to Rey. “Take something like this, and make it a bit fancy…you know, sew on gold ribbon and fake jewels and all that.”

“A fancy son of the house of Capulet,” Rey said. “I like it.”

“You find anything yet?”

Rey sighed. “Not really. All of these dresses are either too outer-spacey, or not outer-spacey enough, if that makes sense.”

Finn shrugged and laughed. “Not really, but sure.”

“I’m done,” Poe said, walking up next to them with a pile of clothes in his arms.

“It’s been five minutes!” Rey exclaimed.

“I know,” Poe said. He had a pile of plain looking, neutral-hued clothes under his arm. “But I liked this right away.”

“Prove it,” Finn said, pointing to a curtain. “Go change and show us.”

Poe shrugged with his usual confidence and went to change, as Rose came up to Rey and Finn to check on their progress.

“Nothing yet, Rey?” Rose said, helping her flip through the racks. “Not even an _inkling_ of an idea?”

Rey frowned. “Not really. I might have to make something. Problem is, I can’t sew at all. I’ll have to glue my costume together just to get it to hold.”

“You don’t have to sew,” Rose said. “You can throw something together with existing clothing and then decorate it, perhaps. It could be a lot of fun!”

Rey rolled her eyes. “Please don’t tell me this involves bedazzling. _Nobody_ is going to get me to convert into a _bedazzler_.”

Rose’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, I can definitely help with that.”

“Help with what?” Poe said suddenly from behind them, and Rey’s mouth dropped open.

Poe looked _stunning._

The clothes might have looked plain on anybody else, but on him, they were incredibly sexy. He wore tight, dark brown pants with black boots that were nearly knee-high, and an off-white tucked in shirt that was slightly unbuttoned around the neck. He could have been on the cover of a romance novel. For the first time in her life, Rey felt the actual, physical urge to swoon.

“Guys?” Poe asked. “Does this work?”

Even Rose was distracted. “Oh yeah,” she said. “That’ll definitely work.”

Finn nodded. “Hot _damn,_ Dameron.”

“Rey?”

Rey felt heat rush to her face. “It’s good,” she said in a monotone, trying not to look too hard at the tight pants or the way the shirt revealed a glimpse of the tan expanse of his chest. _Dear god…_

“Excellent,” Rose said matter-of-factly. “We have our Romeo costume.”

“And I think this should work for Tybalt,” Finn said, holding up the blue shirt. “I’ll find some stuff to fancy it up.”

“That just leaves you, Juliet,” Poe said, and Rey smiled. The reality was finally setting in—she was Juliet, and he was her Romeo, and he would be reading some of the most romantic lines ever written to her wearing _that._

“I’m not really finding anything,” Rey said. “I don’t really know what a space princess would wear.”

“Well who does,” Finn said. “Rose, can you help me find some ribbons and stuff to sew on this shirt? I’m not really sure where to start.”

“Yeah,” Rose said. “All the little stuff is in the box over there.” The two of them went off together, and then Rey and Poe were alone.

“So,” Poe said. “Let’s figure out your outfit.”

“There’s nothing,” Rey said. “I’ve checked everything, at least in terms of things that are already sewn together.” She led Poe over to the clothing racks to show him. “See, it’s either something corny like this,” she said, holding out a tin foil bodysuit that looked like it was from a 1950s B-movie, “or, it’s something too traditional,” she explained, pointing to a gown that looked like it was for a fairy-tale princess. “Nothing seems right. And it shouldn’t be too fancy either, because it should coordinate with your costume.”

“Very true,” Poe said, “I guess we’ll have to work from scratch.” He turned to the box of fabrics sitting behind them. “Let’s see what we’ve got.” Poe leaned over the box, sifting through all sorts of colors and textures of fabric.

_Good lord, those pants are tight._

“Aha!” Poe said, holding up some white cotton sheets. “Let’s see what we can do with this.”

“They’re plain,” Rey said skeptically. “I don’t know how I would ever look like a princess in them.”

“I think you could look like a princess in anything,” Poe said, and Rey giggled, shaking her head. She had missed his over-the-top flirting. “Now let’s see,” he said, folding the sheets and grabbing some gold cord off one of the tables. “I think this should work.”

Poe took one sheet and fastened it into a skirt around her hips, tying it with the gold cord. A few minutes later, after some alterations with scissors and some more knots, he had come up with what Rey figured would be the top part of the garment.

“There’s no way that’s going to work,” Rey said.

“Trust me,” Poe said, fitting the top part of the dress over her head. “I’ve been to a lot of toga parties.”

“I can’t see!” Rey said, laughing as Poe helped her fit her arms into the sleeves. The top of the dress had a sort of white veil near the top, and Poe lifted it slowly and gently to the back of Rey’s head with his fingertips. For a queasy, exciting second, she had felt like she was standing at the altar with him.

“Look in the mirror,” Poe said. “I think it’s great.”

Rey walked over to the mirror and Poe came over to stand beside her. Somehow, miraculously, he had pulled it off. The dress was completely plain, yet it draped over Rey in a way that was both elegant and flattering. The dress had the kind of purity associated with royalty, with the same amount of strangeness that one would expect from fashion that came from another world.

“Wow,” Rose said, coming up behind them. “You guys…it’s…”

“It’s what?” Poe asked, and Rose just smiled, staring at Rey in her white dress while Poe stood beside her in his adventurer’s outfit.

“I don’t know…” Rose said. “It’s perfect. This sounds stupid, but somehow, it’s like you guys look like…”

“Like what?”

“It’s like you’re who you’ve always been meant to be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Costume References:
> 
> -Rey's dress is your basic, Episode IV Leia dress: if you guys are here reading Star Wars fic I assume you don't need a link xD
> 
> -Poe's outfit (minor Episode IX spoilers) is this dashing number here: https://hips.hearstapps.com/digitalspyuk.cdnds.net/18/34/iso_excallround_starwars_filming122_1.jpg?resize=480:*


	8. January 31, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “O blessèd, blessèd night! I am afeard,   
> Being in night, all this is but a dream,   
> Too flattering sweet to be substantial.”  
> -Romeo and Juliet II.II.146-148.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Rey whispered to Finn as they walked into class on Thursday. All of the desks in the room had been moved off to the side, leaving a giant space in the middle of the classroom.

“It’ll be fine,” Finn reassured her. “It’s probably just rehearsal for the final. Just have fun with it.”

“I’m a terrible actress,” Rey said, grumbling as she put her bag down. She knew the part of the class she had been dreading would come eventually, and now it was here.

“Acting isn’t that hard once you get the hang of it,” Finn said. “Just find a time when you connected to your character’s emotions, and then try to live in that moment.”

Rey sighed. “Doesn’t mean it won’t be humiliating.”

Finn shrugged. “Yeah, maybe not.”

Rose and Poe walked in a few moments later and gazed around the classroom. “First rehearsal day!” Rose said, clapping her hands. “I’m excited.”

Poe smiled contentedly. He certainly didn’t look _unexcited_. He wore jeans and a dark gray sweatshirt, and his curls were looking adorably disheveled.

“You ready?” he asked Rey, stepping up beside her and smiling. “I think it might be kind of fun.”

“I guess,” said Rey, a little terrified and amazed at how persuasive his smile could be in just a few seconds.

Professor Kanata came in wearing a blue floral kimono, eyes wide with excitement. “First rehearsal day!” she said, practically twirling around in a circle. “This is going to be your first time really testing out your acting chops, so get excited! Get into your project groups and begin!”

Rey could tell that this was the professor’s favorite part of teaching the course, and she clearly didn’t want to miss a minute of it. She followed her group’s lead as the four of them made a space for themselves in the corner of the room.

“Okay,” Rose said. “I’ve got this all figured out. We’ve got two scenes—the balcony scene and the scene where Romeo kills Tybalt. I say we go in order and rehearse balcony today and then the fight scene later. Finn, you’ve finished the modifications to your costume, correct?”

“Yep,” Finn said, giving her a thumbs-up. “And you’ve finished all the world-building backstory stuff?”

Rose’s eyes sparkled. “You bet I did.” She turned to Rey and Poe. “Let me give you some context.” She straightened up, eyes widening with excitement as she began to tell her story:

“Juliet Capulet is the princess of the royal house of Alderaan, while Romeo Montague is the prince of the royal house of Yavin. Two different planets that both have the same goal—vanquishing the evil Empire—but both want to go about it in different ways. Alderaan wishes to maintain peace at all costs, while Yavin desires to take more drastic action. These political discussions about how to plan the initial stage of the Resistance have put the prince and princess’s parents—and planets—in conflict with each other.”

“I’m liking this,” Rey said, listening with keen interest. “Keep going.”

“At an intergalactic meeting of the Resistance, Romeo and Juliet meet and fall in love—but they soon realize their respective planets and families will never allow them to be together. The rest is pretty much the same old story.”

“I love it,” Poe said, grinning. “Great job, Rose.”

“Okay,” Finn said, returning to reality. “Let’s get started rehearsing.” He looked around the room and frowned. “Too bad we don’t have a balcony in here.”

“Think again,” Rose said, and stood up to wheel over what looked like a tall metal TV cart. “Rey can sit up here.”

“Is that safe?” Finn asked skeptically.

“Sure it is,” Rose said. Rey was already climbing up to sit on top of it, looking down at the rest of her group.

“Not quite as romantic as I imagined,” Rey said. “But it’ll do.” Rey crossed her legs and made herself comfortable as she flipped to the correct scene in her copy of the play. _Here we go._

“Okay,” Poe said, straightening up and shifting on his feet. “Act two, scene two.”

There was an awkward tension coming from the direction of Rose and Finn, as if they both had the feeling that they were encroaching on a private moment, and were unsure of what to do.

“Rose is going to help me fix something on my costume,” Finn said, breaking the silence. “We’ll uh, we’ll be back.” The two of them walked away, and suddenly it was just Rey, Poe, and one of the most iconic romantic moments in English literature.

Poe walked up to the edge of the cart and looked down at his copy of the play, stuttering a bit. “Should…should I start?”

“Yeah,” Rey said, smiling. She knew what was coming, and she beamed.

“He jests at scars that never felt a wound,” Poe started, and looked up at Rey, meeting her eyes with a look of clear intention. “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and _Juliet_ is the sun.” Poe smiled, and Rey smiled in return at the fond familiarity of the lines. Poe kept reading, building up the energy and passion in his voice as he continued:

“Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,

Who is already sick and pale with grief,

That thou, her maid, art _far_ more fair than she.

Be not her maid since she is envious.

Her vestal livery is but sick and green,

And none but fools do wear it—”

“Cast it off!” Poe finished with an excited flourish, and at those last words, she could have sworn she saw a blush rise up in his cheeks. He met her eyes, and for a second they were transported back to Rey’s bed, to Poe’s fingers brushing her cheek and leaning in, to that sacred moment before they nearly fell into each other completely…

Poe stepped closer, looking up at Rey in a manner that could only be described as reverent. “It is my lady,” Poe whispered, his voice deepening. “Oh, it is my love. Oh, that she knew she were!” Poe stared at her longingly, his eyes darkening, and something deep within Rey knew that somewhere beneath the words he really meant it.

“She speaks, yet she says nothing,” he whispered. “What of that?” Poe whispered, looking at Rey with sudden desperation.

Rose and Finn had returned.

“We uh, fixed the costume,” Finn said, as Poe stepped a few inches back from the cart where Rey was sitting.

“Good,” Poe said. “Cool.”

“We still have more things to discuss,” Rose said, pulling out some papers. “Now let’s see…”

 

**Saturday, February 2, 2019**

**3:00 a.m.**

 

Rey was looking forward to having a relaxing weekend. Connix had gone home to her parent’s house and she had barely any studying to do. She had fallen asleep with her laptop open to Netflix, watching old sitcoms as the rest of her classmates partied the weekend away. It was to be a peaceful couple of days.

Which is why Rey was shocked to hear what sounded like rocks hitting her window.

Rey crawled out of bed in her sweatpants and t-shirt and peeked out the side of her curtains, her heart hammering in her chest. She was on the third floor, so certainly no one could climb up and harm her, she figured.

Someone was standing on the ground next to the dorm building, continuing to throw rocks. Rey looked closer. Was that…

_…Poe?_

Rey opened her window and stuck her head out, bracing against the cold February air. “Poe?” she called down. “Poe? Is that you?”

“Reeeeeeey!!!” Poe called out, wobbling on his feet. “I’m here!”

“I can see that,” Rey said as he ran closer to the building. He must have come from one of the big campus parties, as he was clearly drunk out of his mind, standing outside in the forty-degree weather.

“The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars, as daylight doth a lamp!” Poe cried, waving his arms around dramatically, and Rey’s eyes widened in shock. “Her eye in heaven, would through the airy region stream so bright, that birds would sing and think it were not night!” Poe yelled up to her, nearly out of breath, and Rey’s hands gripped the railing in something like panic. _Oh my god, oh my god, Oh. My. God._

“Poe!” Rey called down. “Are you drunk?”

“She speaks!” Poe gasped, staring up at her with an unearthly combination of fire and liquor in his eyes. “O, speak again, bright angel! For thou art as glorious to this night, being o'er my head, as is a wingèd messenger of heaven, unto the white, upturnèd, wondering eyes of mortals that—”

“Fuck off!” yelled a voice from a nearby window. “People are trying to sleep, asshole!”

Poe shrunk back, confused and completely inebriated as someone’s window slammed shut. It suddenly occurred to Rey that other people had probably woken up and were now listening in, and she cringed in embarrassment.

“How much did you drink?” Rey said, staring down at him.

“Um,” Poe said, walking around in lazy circles. “Lots?”

Rey laughed. “How do you have all those lines memorized? I can’t even remember them sober.”

Poe smiled and laughed to himself drunkenly. “Important,” he said. “Important to me because of you, you know.”

Rey smiled. “What are you doing, Poe Dameron?”

“I’m not Poe Dameron,” he said. “I’m Romeo, and you’re Juliet. Don’t you remember?”

“I do.”

Poe smiled up at her, looking giddy. “Why don’t you climb down, Juliet? Let’s just go. Go, go, go.”

“Go where?” Rey asked, laughing.

“Anywhere,” Poe said, stumbling again. “Let’s just—”

“Poe, you need to get back,” Rey said. “It’s three o’clock in the morning and you’re completely wasted.”

“Eh,” Poe said, laughing to himself again.

“I’m serious!” Rey said. “Walk home, be careful, and drink lots of water when you get there.”

Poe yawned and sighed. “Okay, Rey,” he said, waving at her stupidly as he stumbled across the lawn to his own dorm building.

Rey stared out the window in disbelief as she watched Poe, waiting until he disappeared out of sight. She climbed back into bed, but could barely sleep from the excitement of it all. Sure, he had been drunk, and frankly ridiculous, but something had led him here, to her.

When Rey woke up, the sun shining through the curtains, she remembered the night before and beamed, letting the memory wash happiness and laughter back over her. She opened the window and leaned out, finding the weather peculiarly warm and the lawn particularly green, with robins scattered across it. A few rocks were scattered on the ground beneath her window—damning evidence of the previous night’s events.

Rey watched as one of the robins landed on the windowsill next to hers, staring at her with interest. “Hello!” she said, the bird watching her suspiciously. Rey just laughed. Besides, she was living in a fairy tale. Why wouldn’t she be able to talk to birds?


	9. February 5, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Our doubts are traitors  
> And cause us to miss the good we oft might win   
> By fearing to attempt."  
> -Measure for Measure I.IV.85-87.

Rey arrived at class early on Tuesday morning, and when she got there the classroom was nearly empty with the exception of Rose and a few others. Rose was nearly grinning out of her mind when she saw her walk in.

“Heyyy,” Rose said, tilting her head. “So how was your _weekeeeend?”_

“Fine,” Rey said, getting out her notes. “I watched a lot of Netflix.”

“Mhm,” Rose said. “That’s not all I heard happened.”

Rey felt a blush rise in her cheeks. “Oh.”

“I have friends in your building,” Rose said. “And that boy woke _all_ of them up.”

“Shit,” Rey said, burying her face in her hands. “Oh god. Does everyone know?”

“Er,” Rose said. “Maybe?”

“Aw, man. Seriously?”

“Come on, Rey, who cares!” Rose said excitedly. “What happened afterward?”

“Afterward?”

“After the whole romantic gesture thing…did you invite him up?”

Rey looked at Rose dubiously. “ _No_ , Rose, he was completely drunk out of his mind. He went home, and I haven’t seen or talked to him since. He probably didn’t mean it anyway. He probably doesn’t even remember. He was pretty out of it.”

“Huh,” Rose said, her eyes brightening with interest. “ _Interesting.”_

“Don’t be weird when he comes in,” Rey said. “Please, Rose, I’m begging you.”

“Okaaaay,” Rose said, turning around with a smirk on her face. She was excited to watch the drama unfold, and it was sickening.

Rey squirmed nervously in her seat. Did Poe even remember what he did? Did he forget and then someone told him? If he knows, does he regret it? Is he going to try super hard to take it all back? Would he—

Poe walked in just then, looking sleepy but content in gray sweatpants and a red t-shirt. Perhaps he was suffering from one of those hangovers that really lingered. He waved to Rey and to Rose, shuffled to his desk, and sat down. Rose immediately pretended to be absorbed in her notes, giving Rey and Poe the chance to talk—and her a chance to listen.

Poe turned around to face Rey, running a hand through his curls nervously. “How much of a drinker are you?” he asked.

“Not much,” Rey said. “Why?”

Poe grimaced. “So um…I don’t know if you’ve ever drunk so much that you forgot everything you did the night before—but Friday night, I kind of did that.”

“Mhm,” Rey nodded, trying to maintain her poker face.

“And sometimes, when you do that, you wake up hungover the next morning and all of a sudden everyone is telling you that you did stuff you don’t remember doing. And sometimes…sometimes it’s really weird shit, you know?”

“Yeah,” Rey giggled and broke into a huge grin.

“God, it’s true, isn’t it?” Poe said, and Rey burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

“Oh man,” Poe said, as Rey continued laughing. “Look, look, I’m not sure _exactly_ what happened, but some girls from your building told me about it at breakfast the next day.”

“And what was their version of events?”

“Ugh,” Poe said, and put his head down.

“Come on, tell me,” Rey said.

“Um,” Poe said, sitting up again and biting his lip. “Basically, I heard from multiple sources that I did some like…Shakespearean monologue thing—at your window. At like…three in the morning. That I was super wasted and throwing rocks and I woke up your entire building.” Poe looked at her with terror in his eyes. “So…is that… _true_?” he asked.

Rey burst out laughing. “I don’t know, maybe.”

“Rey!”

“Don’t get that wasted if you don’t want to do things you won’t remember later,” Rey teased, smiling at him as Professor Kanata came in.

“Come on! At least tell me what the lines were. Was it the balcony scene?”

Rey smirked and nearly snorted.

“Oh my god it was the balcony scene, wasn’t it?” Poe whispered. “It was the _fucking_ balcony scene, oh my god, I can’t believe I—”

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Professor Kanata said, sitting down on top of her desk. “I trust you all had a good weekend, and I also trust that you’ve been memorizing your lines for the final performance, which is this time next week.” Everyone nodded, and a few procrastinators groaned at the prospect.

“Thursday we’ll have another day for rehearsal, but today I’d like to do some more lecture material on the origins of _Romeo and Juliet,_ as well as the influence it had on the literature that followed. As we discussed at the beginning of this class, Greek myths were a large influence on Shakespeare’s plots, and—”

Rey doodled absentmindedly on the margins of her notes. She was too giddy with amusement to pay any attention today.

 

***

 

When class was over, Rey began to make her way over to Finn to ask about his progress on his costume when she was stopped by Professor Kanata.

“Rey,” she said, smiling and beckoning her over. “A moment, please.”

Rey’s heart leapt in her chest as she watched her friends leave with the rest of her classmates. She certainly hoped she wasn’t in any kind of trouble.

“Sit down,” Maz Kanata said warmly, motioning at the seat across from her desk. Rey wrung her hands nervously. The professor was a breathtaking combination of wisdom, intelligence, and beauty, and it was intimidating to sit across from her one-on-one like this.

“Do you remember the lecture I gave on the first day of class, Rey?” she asked. “About the power of the Bard? About what his words can do to people?”

Rey nodded.

“And you didn’t believe me, did you?” Professor Kanata said, and smiled. “But you do now.”

Rey sat up in her chair. “What—”

“I don’t mean to embarrass you,” Professor Kanata said. “And I know it’s none of my business. But there was only one thing people were gossiping about in my morning classes today.”

Rey’s cheeks reddened in humiliation. “Oh.”

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Professor Kanata said. “If anyone should be embarrassed, it’s Mr. Dameron.”

Rey shifted in her chair, waiting for her to get to the point.

“Rey,” she said, taking her hand and looking into her eyes. “If you live long enough, you see the same eyes in different people. And I'm looking at the eyes of a girl who is afraid to take a chance…who is afraid of getting hurt.”

Rey shrunk back again, but the professor just smiled. “I’ve seen the way that young man looks at you,” she said. “And I think he’s quite smitten.”

Rey sighed. “I, um…I don’t know.”

“You should go for it,” the professor said. “And I mean,” she continued, dropping her voice to a whisper. “I know I’m faculty and I can’t say things like this, but have you _seen_ him? These glasses might be pretty thick, but I’m not _that_ blind.”

“I guess,” Rey said, anxious for the conversation to end.

“I’m sorry,” Professor Kanata said. “I don’t usually interfere in these sorts of matters, but I just—” The professor sighed and gripped the edge of her desk. “Remember I said, that first day, how you never forget the people you first learn the Bard with?”

Rey nodded.

“You’re going to be hearing lines from _Romeo and Juliet_ for as long as you live. On TV, in other books, on terrible greeting cards, you name it. I just—” Maz Kanata looked down at her feet, as if remembering some long-ago sadness. “I don’t want you to hear those words for the rest of your life and have them remind you of a great love you never took the chance of having.” She stood up to walk Rey to the door, and then smiled at her again. “That’s all.”


	10. February 7, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Doubt thou the stars are fire,  
> Doubt that the sun doth move,  
> Doubt truth to be a liar,  
> But never doubt I love."  
> -Hamlet, II.II.124-127.

Finn circled around Poe with menace in his eyes, pointing the flimsy cardboard sword at his chest. "Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford no better term than this: thou art a villain," Finn sneered, and Rey and Rose watched with delight as their battle unfolded.

Poe laughed—even in the fight scene, he wore a roguish smirk that made Rey weak in the knees. “Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee doth much excuse the appertaining rage to such a greeting. Villain am I none. Therefore, farewell. I see thou know’st me not,” Poe said, backing Finn into the wall with his own sword.

“Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries that thou hast done me. Therefore, turn and draw!” Finn yelled in response, and they engaged in an extensive swordfight that looked far more competitive and elaborate than was probably necessary.

“ _Boys,_ ” Rose said to Rey, rolling her eyes. “I had to go to the craft store downtown to get that cardboard, and if I have to remake those swords, I swear to god…”

“That’s what duct tape is for,” Rey said. “I think all in all, we’ve done a pretty good job of putting all this together.”

“You think we’ll get an A?”

“At least a B+…that is, if I don’t mess up my lines.”

Rose smiled reassuringly. “You’ll be fine. And besides—you can tell Poe is putting a huge amount of effort into his performance, and so he’ll carry the whole thing through regardless.”

“True,” Rey said, and jumped out of the way as Finn and Poe came barreling towards her.

“I do protest I never injured thee!” Poe exclaimed, drawing his sword back from Finn. “But love thee better than thou canst devise, till thou shalt know the reason of my love. And so, good Capulet—which name I tender as dearly as my own—be satisfied.”

“Woo!” Rose said, clapping, and Poe and Finn bowed. “That was perfect!”

“Thank you, director,” Poe said, and smiled. Even though at the beginning of the course he had claimed to have a definite distaste for both acting and Shakespeare, he seemed more at home performing than anyone else in class.

“But,” Rose said, and Poe groaned. “I’ve still got notes. Let’s go outside.” Rose held up a yellow legal pad filled with her scribbles, and Poe sighed and followed her.

Rey and Finn sat down on the floor and looked over their lines as they waited for the last ten minutes of class to be up.

“So,” Finn said. “I’m pretty nervous right now.”

“You shouldn’t be,” Rey said. “You were great up there, and—”

“Not…not about that,” Finn said. “I came to a decision.”

“What?”

“I’m going to ask Rose out to dinner after class today,” Finn said, breaking into a shy smile.

“Finn!” Rey said, pulling him into an unexpected hug. “That’s amazing!”

“I hope so. I just…I’m so scared she’ll turn me down.”

“I have it on good authority she won’t.”

“I know,” Finn said. “And you’re not the only person who’s told me that. But you know how it is with these things…any time you try to take a step forward every doubt in the world starts to creep in.”

“I know,” Rey said, hugging her knees to her chest.

“Is that what’s going on with you and Poe?” Finn asked. “Because everyone in this class can tell how crazy about you he is. There’s no way.”

“There’s always a no way,” Rey said, sighing to herself.

“Yeah, maybe,” Finn said. “But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.”

Rey smiled sadly. “Maybe you’re stronger than I am.”

“Nah,” Finn said, putting his notes in his backpack. “But I think next time Poe pulls some ridiculous romantic shit on you, you have to tell him how you feel.”

“But what if—”

“No what-if’s,” Finn said. “I know Friar Lawrence is all about that “they stumble that run fast” bullshit, but this isn’t Verona. There’s nothing standing in your way. You’ve been taking your time long enough.”

Rey stared dreamily at the ceiling. “ _These violent delights have violent ends…”_ she quoted, looking sadly back down at the floor.

“Okay,” Finn said, shrugging. “But that’s on you if you end up missing out on any of these ‘violent delights’ from Poe.”

Rey laughed. “Okay.”

“The final performance is Tuesday, and you’re going to be whispering sweet nothings to him on stage anyway,” Finn said, getting ready to walk out the door. “Probably a good time to tell him you’ve been meaning all your words all along.”

Rey smiled. “Good luck with Rose,” she said. “Tell me how it goes.”

“Will do,” Finn said, and waved goodbye. 

Rey stared back up at the ceiling, lost in thought. Finn was right—class was coming to an end soon—and having Poe read those lines to her next week might be just the thing to finally break her restraint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter today so here's oscar isaac signing in a musical version of two gentlemen of verona and daisy ridley as ophelia to pad your imaginations for this fic. You're welcome: 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7C5-IIfxgM  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AFKulYsK9o
> 
> *oscar isaac did a stage version of R&J years ago and if anyone has footage hit me up


	11. February 12, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged!  
> Give me my sin again.”  
> -Romeo and Juliet, I.IV.120-21.

Rey stuffed her white dress into her tote bag and checked her complicated updo once more in the bathroom mirror. She had spent the last two classes reading over her lines when she was supposed to be listening to the lecture, and she finally felt confident that she would remember everything; that is, unless her nerves got the best of her.

She was more concerned about Poe.

They had barely practiced their lines in front of anyone besides Rose and Finn, and never in the full splendor of their costumes. Since the lines were now so weighted with meaning, performing them with each other felt like such an intimate act—one that Rey was reluctant to share with anyone else. But what other choice did she have?

She took a deep breath, grabbed her umbrella, and made her way to the theater. Rey hurried along, avoiding puddles and taking in deep breaths of the misty air around her, trying to think of some words to calm her nerves. She couldn’t find them.

Professor Kanata had gained permission for her class to use the small campus theater for their performances this afternoon, which gave the scenes a sense of legitimacy that they wouldn’t have had back in the classroom. Rey ran into the building and then made her way to the backstage area to find Rose going over her notes with two pencils haphazardly jammed into her bun.

“You’re here!” Rose said, rushing over. “Good, good. The boys just texted, they’re on their way. Let’s get you into costume. Do you know your lines?”

“Yep,” Rey assured both Rose and herself. “I’ve been going over my lines all morning.”

“Excellent,” Rose said, practically shoving her behind a curtain. “Now change into your dress.”

She pulled the garment out of her tote bag and slipped it on. It was surprisingly comfortable, yet still looked extremely regal. Rey looked at her reflection in the mirror on the wall and smiled. With her light makeup and fancy hair (something halfway between braids and a high bun, courtesy of Connix) she looked like she belonged anywhere other than a college campus.

Rey peeked out from behind the curtain and stepped outside to see that Finn and Poe had joined Rose—they were both in costume already and were busy going over notes.

“Hey,” Rey said, approaching them quietly, feeling self-conscious about her dress.

“Wow,” Finn said, glancing over her ensemble. Poe had no words, and only stared at Rey with wide eyes.

“You ready, Juliet?” he asked, taking her hand and bowing dramatically. “I’ve got a balcony to climb.”

Rey blushed at the gesture, wishing she wasn’t so easily swayed by his charm. “Sounds good to me.”

“Okay,” Rose said. “So all the directors chose slips to see what order we’re performing in, and we’re second. We’re after the Wild West group and before the _Seinfeld_ group. And yes, they are actually setting it during the filming of an episode of _Seinfeld_. I cannot make this stuff up. You guys have about five minutes left to look at your lines, so get everything memorized.”

Poe and Rose went across the room to do some final checks on some of the props, leaving Rey alone with Finn again.

“So,” Rey asked the second she got the chance. “Did you ask Rose?”

Finn broke into a grin. “We’ve got a date for Valentine’s day.”

“Yay!” Rey beamed, happy to have some good news to direct her attention away from her nerves. “See! I told you she would say yes!”

“Yeah, you did,” Finn said, smiling, but then went serious. “But it’s your turn now.”

“This is a school assignment, thank you very much,” Rey said. “And I intend to treat it that way.”

“You can tell yourself that,” Finn said. “But your Romeo is over there in his sexy Indiana Jones getup looking like he’s about to ravish you on that balcony in front of the entire class.”

Rey rolled her eyes and laughed. “Come on, Finn.”

“I’m just saying!” Finn said. “This is your last time to tell each other how you feel without having to _tell each other you feel,_ you know what I mean? Make those words count.”

She sighed, and then saw Professor Kanata come in wearing a flowing black and white kimono. “Sit down everyone!” she called, motioning everyone over to the theater seats. “It’s time for our first performance!”

Rey followed her group to the second row of theater seats, where she ended up sandwiched between Rose and Poe. Finn was next to Rose, trying to clandestinely look at his lines on his phone.

The first group took their place on stage, wearing wild west costumes that looked like they had been lazily salvaged from a previous production without any modifications. The group had decided to perform the scene where Romeo and Juliet meet at the ball, and Rey was already cringing.

_The moment where the two most iconic lovers in English literature meet for the first time is one that needs to be charged with a certain spark, an energy and a magic that transcends everything_ , Rey thought…but when the group performed, it fell flat. The actors playing Romeo and Juliet read the lines in a way that demonstrated that they had strictly memorized their lines without understanding the meaning of the words or getting a feel for the rhythm of the poetry.

Rey shifted nervously in the auditorium seat as she went back over the lines she had memorized in her head—Poe was in both of the scenes, so he had a lot more to remember than either her or Finn. Even sitting next to Poe, she could feel the tension between them, a thick, impenetrable silence that was both wonderful and exhausting. He had his legs crossed casually so that one of his black boots was propped up on his knee, and the sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up, showing off the golden muscle of his forearms. Rey didn’t know how much longer she could take just sitting next to him like this.

“These people kind of suck,” Poe whispered to her. “Probably means we’ll get a better grade.”

“I hope so,” Rey said, rigid with nerves. The scene was nearly over, and they would be up soon.

“Hey,” Poe said, leaning towards her. “We rehearsed this, it’ll be great. Just have fun up there.”

Rey looked down at her feet, still feeling apprehensive. “Easier said than done.”

Poe reached over and squeezed her hand. “We got this, Rey,” he said, warmth and tenderness in his smile. “I’ll carry you through it.”

“Okay,” she said, squeezing back. And she believed him.

 

 

*******

Rey peeked out from behind the curtain. She could see Professor Kanata sitting in front of her murmuring classmates, clipboard at the ready. The stage was now set: Rose had wheeled out the metal television cart, which she had decorated with vines of green pipe cleaners and pink tissue paper roses. After the balcony scene was done, it would be wheeled away and Poe and Finn would have their swordfight.

“Come on!” Rose practically yelled. “They’re going to pull back the curtain in two minutes, so get in your places!”

Rose helped Rey climb onto the television cart, which looked surprisingly good after her crafty alterations. Poe stood in front of the cart as Rose dashed off to rejoin the audience, leaving the two of them alone until the curtain was drawn.

Rey lounged on top of the cart and looked down at Poe. His costume looked stunning, and he looked… _God,_ Rey thought, _I don’t even care what grade I get on this performance, I just want to remember him, to live in this day forever and ever…_

“I suppose this is it,” Poe said, smiling up at her. “Juliet.”

Rey laughed. “Why do you always call me that?”

Poe adjusted the veil of her dress as the curtain began to draw back. “You know why, Rey,” he said, holding her gaze, and Rey swore she could feel her heart about to burst from her chest.

And then the two of them stood before everyone.

“He jests at scars that never felt a wound…” Poe began, projecting his voice, and the room fell into silence. “But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun…”

Rey relaxed into his words as she lounged on the cart, only slightly aware of the eyes of her classmates off in the distance. She only felt soft and amorous and otherworldly in her white dress, and let herself sink into the luxury of Poe’s voice as he went on.

“Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,  
Having some business, do entreat her eyes  
To twinkle in their spheres till they return.  
What if her eyes were there, they in her head?  
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,  
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven  
Would through the airy region stream so bright  
That birds would sing and think it were not night.”

Poe kept his eyes locked onto hers as he spoke, the warm brown almost darkening to black as he gazed up at her. He enunciated every word deliberately, and they felt weighed down with his desires. _How is this my life?_ Rey thought, drunk on the poetry, and now it was her turn.

“O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?” Rey began, unable to resist a smile. “Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet.”

“Shall I hear more?” Poe asked. “Or shall I speak at this?”

“'Tis but thy name that is my enemy,” Rey said. “Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man…” Poe smiled cheekily at this. “O, be some other name!” Rey shouted, feigning a ladylike swoon. “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet; so Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, and for that name which is no part of thee, take all myself.” Rey exhaled, relieved that she had remembered all her lines.

As they continued with the scene, Rey felt a sudden urge to freeze time. Poe looked unbelievably dashing in his costume, and when he looked at her as he read out his lines she felt so happy she could die. Real or not, would she ever get to be a part of something so romantic ever again?

“Lady,” Poe said. “By yonder blessed moon I swear, that tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops—”

Rey thought suddenly of Connix, the rumors, her insecurities and doubts, and spoke with more meaning than she intended: “O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon, that monthly changes in her circled orb, lest that thy love prove likewise variable.”

Poe stood up a bit straighter in his boots and came closer, placing his hand on her cheek—a move that had not been part of their rehearsals, and Rey felt herself blush. “What shall I swear by?”

Rey smiled, and brought a hand down to stroke his face, running a finger across the stubble of his jawline. “Do not swear at all; or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self, which is the god of my idolatry…” Rey smiled at him sweetly. “…and I'll believe thee.”

They went through the rest of the scene, and as the room burst into applause, all Rey and Poe could do was stare at each other, breathless in exhilaration.

“Bravo!” Professor Kanata shouted with enthusiasm. “Excellent acting, you two!”

Rey beamed as Poe smiled up at her in triumph. _Acting,_ she thought. _Sure._

***

 

Rey went back to sit next to Rose to watch their group’s other scene. Finn had joined Poe onstage, and they were both wielding their cardboard swords—Tybalt was about to meet his death.

“This day’s black fate on more days doth depend,” Poe pronounced, holding his sword up against Finn’s. “This but begins the woe others must end!” Rey watched with great interest until she felt Rose tap her on the shoulder.

“So,” Rose whispered. “ _Wow.”_

“What?” Rey asked.

“ _What?_ Oh, please, Rey. Come on. That was some pretty intense eye-fucking you guys had up there.”

“Rose! Pay attention!”

Rose giggled and Rey crossed her arms, feeling hot in the face. Had they been _that_ obvious? Surely some of her classmates had heard about the infamous drunk balcony incident by now, which would have made them wonder.

Poe and Finn finished their scene and returned to their seats to more applause as the final group took stage. Poe sat back down beside her, smiling with relief.

“We did it guys,” he said. “We actually pulled it off.”

“Woohoo!” Rose cheered quietly, and they turned back to the stage.

Not even watching the tragic events of the play’s fifth act take place in the context of a _Seinfeld_ episode could distract Rey from the pull she felt from Poe sitting beside her. _The class is ending,_ Rey thought, her heart sinking. _You’re not going to see him as much anymore._

Was this it? Did their story end here? _You can’t tell him how you feel,_ Rey thought. _He’s out of your league, even if he had any interest he’ll just break your heart like all the rest, he just—_

“Excuse me,” Rey said, and quickly walked out of the room in the middle of the third group’s scene, trying to keep her emotions in check.

Rey found herself in an empty hallway outside the auditorium filled with old posters from past productions and stacks of folding chairs. She leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths, but still found she couldn’t quite calm down. She was caught between two forces: how desperately she wanted Poe and how terrified she was of being wrong about him.

She leaned her forehead against the wall and smoothed down her white dress. She could hear the strains of the death scene from inside the auditorium. _This play doesn’t have a happy ending…what did you expect?_ Rey thought, trying to hold herself together. _This was just pretend, it was all make-believe in your head, you’re not Juliet, you’re not—_

“O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?”

Rey turned around to see Poe standing behind her, and she couldn’t help but humor him, even now.

“What satisfaction canst thou have to-night?” Rey asked.

“The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine,” Poe said, stepping closer to her.

“You’re not proposing, are you?” Rey said, laughing.

“No,” Poe said. “Well, not marriage, at least.” Poe reached down to gently take her hand. “Are you okay? Because, Rey, I can’t dance around this anymore. I really can’t. I want you so bad I can barely—”

Rey kissed him.

She dug her fingers into his dark curls and pulled him to her, sighing with bliss as they fell against the wall, Poe giving a small groan of delight as he grabbed onto her waist and pulled her against him. Rey kissed him with tremendous fervor, ecstatic at the feeling of finally being able to feel his lips moving against her own, of finally being able to show how desperately she needed him. They broke for air, and Poe rested his forehead against Rey’s, looking down at her with a giddy smile.

“Thank god,” Poe said.

“I know,” Rey said. “Poe, I really, really like you. I know you don’t do relationships, and that’s—”

“What?” Poe asked incredulously, looking a bit panicked. “Who told you that? Connix? Finn?”

“Uhh...”

“Oh Christ, Rey,” Poe said, laughing into her shoulder. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m…I’ve fallen so ridiculously in love with you. And one day,” Poe said, squeezing her hand. “One day, I really hope you believe me.”

Rey looked up at him, let herself sink into the dark warmth of his eyes, and beamed. “I think I already do.”

Poe kissed her again, and Rey never, ever wanted to break apart from him, but she heard the sounds of the final group getting to the end of their performance. “We should get back before Professor Kanata notices,” Rey said.

“Fine,” Poe said, laughing and rolling his eyes. They smiled in secret delight as they tiptoed through the back door of the theater, and sat back down in their seats next to Rose and Finn.

Rose looked at them dubiously. “Did you guys bang out there?”

“Rose!” Poe said. “No!”

Rey burst into giggles in a way that made Rose seriously doubt his word.


	12. February 14, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Alas, here be the smut."  
> -duchessofthemoonbase, XVI.XII.12.
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day! https://assets.popbuzz.com/2016/06/bb8-tumblr-valentine-1455185335.jpg

“Are you _sure_ the sandwich shop was okay?” Poe asked for about the tenth time as they walked back towards campus from their dinner in town.

“Yes!” Rey assured him, yet again. “I love sandwiches, trust me. I’m having an excellent day, Poe. Definitely my best Valentine’s Day on record.”

“Good,” Poe said, and squeezed her hand, giving Rey instant butterflies. Poe was disappointed that he couldn’t find any openings at the nicer restaurants or any affordable bouquets of red roses yesterday—all of the Valentine’s Day things had been snatched up by couples who, well, had been together for more than two days.

“I’m enormously happy,” Rey said, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek, and she swore she saw him blush a little. Poe had gotten her a card, as well as a bouquet of wildflowers that she suspected had been snatched from the greenhouse in the science building. But she had never felt so wonderfully adored.

“So,” Rey said, as Poe wrapped his arm around her, looking smug in his leather jacket. “What’s next on the agenda?”

“I downloaded a movie for us to watch at my place, if you want,” Poe said. “And I also got chocolate-covered strawberries.”

“Ohh,” Rey said. “Absolutely. What’s the movie?”

“You’ll see,” Poe said, scanning them into his building.

Rey giggled as Poe led her through one of the hallways of his dorm building all the way to his room at the end. Since he was an RA, he got a room all to himself, a nice one on the corner that looked over the sprawling green of the campus lawns.

“Here we are,” Poe said, and Rey smiled as she walked in to look around his room. It was so very _him._ There was a bed with an orange comforter, a desk and a bookshelf, and a corner where he kept his guitar. Posters from different bands lined the walls, and complex looking model airplanes and robots lined the shelves. It had a homey feeling that Rey wasn’t used to getting in other dorm rooms.

“This is probably the nicest dorm I’ve ever been in,” Rey said, sitting down on the bed.

“Well, it helps that I don’t have to share it,” Poe noted, grabbing the tray of chocolate covered strawberries from the fridge.

Poe pulled his laptop out of his backpack and placed it on the end of the bed. He put the tray of strawberries on the nightstand and then cuddled in next to Rey. He wore an off-white Henley and dark jeans, and Rey happily leaned in to cuddle against his chest as he queued up the movie.

“What movie is this anyway?” Rey asked. “You’re being very secretive about it.”

“Shh!” Poe teased, touching her lips with a single finger. “Just watch.”

Rey watched the titles come on and laughed. “Oh, you’re kidding.”

“It’s a classic.”

“Well, Professor Kanata would be proud.” It was the 1996 version of _Romeo + Juliet_ , with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.

“I love this version,” Poe said. “It’s definitely the most visually interesting adaptation of the play.”

“Poe Dameron, you are such a liar.”

“Excuse me?”

Rey giggled. “When I met you on the first day of class, you were all ‘I hate Shakespeare’ and ‘I can’t survive this’ but you’ve been a closeted Shakespeare nerd this entire time.”

Poe rolled his eyes. “Not really, I just…”

Rey raised her eyebrows.

“Okay, okay, maybe I downplayed my fondness of Shakespeare for, er, bonding purposes with a certain cute girl I met in the hallway, but whatever.”

“Mhm,” Rey said.

“Forgive me?” Poe asked, leaning in to hand her a chocolate strawberry, and Rey giggled. “Sure,” she said.

Rey settled onto Poe’s chest, savoring the sound of his heart beating and feeling delightfully warm under the covers. She felt overwhelmed with affection for everything about him—she loved how he smelled, how he was lazily threading his fingers through her hair, even how he let a week’s worth of coffee mugs stack up on his desk.

She smiled when the scene from the ball came on—she loved Juliet’s feathery angel costume and Romeo’s suit of armor, and her heart sped up as they met eyes for the first time across the bright and otherworldly colors of the fish tank. A minute later, Romeo was at Juliet’s balcony, and as the familiar lines echoed across the room, Poe’s only instinct was to pull Rey closer to him.

“We did it better,” Rey said indignantly, and Poe smiled and kissed her forehead.

“Hey,” Poe asked, and Rey looked up at him. “Do you think if…do you think if you initially feel that strongly for someone it always ends badly?”

Rey shook her head. “Nah, they’re what, fourteen? And everyone is against them. People make it work.”

“I suppose they do,” Poe grinned and handed her another strawberry. “Rose and Finn sure looked happy today.”

Earlier that evening Poe had tried to get them into an expensive Italian restaurant for dinner but it was all booked—they had seen their friends waving at them from a table at the front of the room, drunk off cheap red wine and the exciting initial stirrings of a friendship transforming into romance.

Rey cuddled back up against Poe as the movie progressed into a series of fight scenes—Romeo, Tybalt, Mercutio, Benvolio, and all of their friends were threatening each other on the beach, and to be honest, it was slightly boring her. It was Valentine’s Day, after all, and she wanted to get back to the good stuff.

She peeked over at Poe, who was totally absorbed in the movie—he looked so beautiful just now—his curls mussed and the warm brown of his eyes and his arms wrapped strong around her. Rey had spent the last month terrified of rejection, heartbreak, and of going after what she wanted. But now she knew exactly what she wanted to do, and she was possessed with a sudden surge of fearlessness.

Rey reached over and slammed the laptop shut, and Poe met her eyes in instantaneous understanding.

She straddled his lap and kissed him desperately, running her hands possessively across his chest in a way that signaled that she wanted more from him this time—that she wanted everything, always.

Poe responded enthusiastically, smiling into her kisses as he pulled her close and tangled his fingers in her hair. Rey kissed her way down his jawline and further into the crook of his neck and Poe sighed, grabbing her hips and grinding them down against him, and Rey suddenly felt just how aroused the events of the evening had already made him.

“Rey,” Poe whispered, his breath heavy as she yanked him down to the bed with her. “Are you sure about this? I know it’s early.”

“Absolutely,” Rey said. “As long as you are. I just…I didn’t know how long I could lie there next to you without—”

“Christ, Rey,” he interrupted, kissing his way down her neck. “You think I didn’t spend that entire movie wanting to pin you against this mattress?” Poe said, and he peeled off his shirt, revealing the golden expanse of his chest.

Rey could only sigh in response, and Poe laughed as he helped her take off the black dress she had worn for dinner, leaving her in just her dark red bra and matching panties. “God, you’re so gorgeous,” Poe said, pulling her back to him, and Rey groaned in relief as she finally felt his hands roam and tease across her body—running up her legs to the soft skin just inside her thigh, over her stomach, and across her back, where he unclipped her bra so he could circle her breasts with the warmth of his fingertips, hardened into callouses from his guitar practice.

Poe kissed her again and brought his fingers to the waistband of her underwear, tugging at it teasingly. “Can I?” he asked, and Rey nodded and groaned as he slipped the panties down her legs. She nearly lost control as she felt the initial pressure of his fingers brushing against her clit.

Rey felt her neck arch back in pleasure as Poe set a steady pace with his fingers, slipping one in and then two. “Does that feel good?” Poe asked. Rey could only let out a moan in response, and Poe gave her a cocky grin. “Do you want more?” he asked, moving up her body to suck on her neck as he thrust his fingers in and out of her. “I can give you _everything,_ Rey.”

“Please,” she sighed, and pulled him up to kiss him again, tugging at his dark curls as she took in the glorious feeling of her bare skin against his chest. She wanted to be this close to him, always, and after weeks and weeks of imagining what it would be like to finally touch him, the relief of his body against hers was almost too good to be true.

Poe brought his fingers down to her again, stroking her as he moved his other hand teasingly across her body. “I saw how flustered you were that day when I was reading to you,” he said, and even though they were both already naked in bed together, Rey felt her face go beet red.

“What?” she asked.

“ _Venus and Adonis,”_ Poe whispered, grinning. “You were so aroused you had to leave the room.”

“Shut up.”

“I could,” Poe said. “Or I can read out the lines to you until you come on my fingers.”

“You cocky bastard, I swear to god—”

“ _Mine eyes are turn'd to fire, my heart to lead_ ,” Poe began, and Rey’s breathing quickened as he brought his fingers back down to touch her, increasing his pace as he continued to whisper into her neck. “ _Heavy heart's lead, melt at mine eyes' red fire!”_

Poe smiled roguishly as he felt her tighten around his fingers after brushing up against a sensitive spot inside her; Rey was getting close already, she had been holding in her need to have him for so long she felt she would burst. _“So shall I die by drops of hot desire,”_ Poe whispered, practically biting down on her neck as she finally came with a sharp gasp on his fingers.

“Fuck,” Rey said, collapsing on the pillow. “That was…”

“I know,” Poe said, raising a smug eyebrow and kissing her even more deeply than before. Rey brought her hands down to pull off his belt and undo the zip of his jeans, which Poe promptly tossed onto the floor. Rey could see the hard outline of his cock tenting his boxers and reached out to feel him, Poe groaning into her touch. He stripped them off and reached into his nightstand to find a condom, rolling it onto his length as Rey watched, lounging eagerly on the other side of the bed.

Poe crawled over to her and looked into her eyes, stroking her cheek with his thumb as he pulled her close to him. “Rey, I’ve never felt this way about anyone…” he said, staring at her longingly. “All those words, all the poetry—I believe them now. I really do.”

Rey smiled up at him. “Same here,” she whispered. “You, and I.”

“You and I,” Poe said.

“Just don’t get banished so I have to fake my own death,” Rey added.

“Shouldn’t be a problem so long as I don’t murder any of your cousins,” Poe said. “And I’m not really the murdering type.”

“Pity,” Rey said. “I already had one picked out.”

Poe laughed and let his head fall onto her shoulder. “We’re going to be just fine, Sunshine,” he said, and smoothed some hair out of her face. “I promise you.”

“I think you’re right,” Rey agreed, and smiled.

“Now,” Poe said, fire suddenly returning to his eyes. “This is all very sweet, but weren’t we in the middle of something?”

“I think you were about to make love to me, if I remember correctly,” Rey assured him with a smirk.

“Well,” Poe said. “Certainly wouldn’t want to forget that.” He lined himself up at her entrance and groaned as he sank into her warm heat. “God, Rey,” he said, breathing hard as he gave her time to adjust. “You don’t know how long I’ve…” Rey cheekily thrust her hips up to meet him and he moaned. “Oh…”

They settled into a comfortable rhythm, a long-awaited sympathy of sighs and gasps and skin slapping against skin. Poe pinned both of Rey’s wrists above her head, burying his lips in the crook of her neck as he fucked her harder, desperate to have more of her, to be the one to pleasure her after so long…

Rey moaned as she felt herself approach her second orgasm of the night, and she had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last. She could barely believe the day she had—after all of this ridiculous pining and waiting and built up desire, she had him, he was here, fucking her in his bed, and he _loved_ her, and—

Rey gasped as her back arched off the bed, and Poe groaned as he watched her come around him. A few short thrusts later, he was finishing as well, and collapsed on top of her with a sigh of delighted satisfaction.

“I could get used to this,” Poe said, pulling Rey into his arms.

“Mhm,” Rey said, reaching hungrily over to the nightstand. “I could get used to these chocolate-covered strawberries.”

“They are good,” Poe said. “And this is _definitely_ the best Valentine’s Day of all time.”

“Amen to that,” Rey said, and they high-fived.

“You want to finish the movie?” Poe asked. “I’m gonna need a while before round two.”

“Nah,” Rey said, kissing him and smiling. “I think I’d like a break from all the Shakespeare, at least for a while.”

“Any particular reason?” Poe asked, and Rey just laughed, beaming as she laid her head on his chest.

“I don’t know,” Rey said, smiling up at him. “I’d like to think we’re a story all our own.”

 

THE END.

**Author's Note:**

> Updates will be posted in real time--that is, every Tuesday and Thursday for the next few weeks, so the story goes on in real time as Rey and Poe's classes would.


End file.
